


broken promises & bitter remorse (you no longer call my name)

by where_is_my_hairbrush



Category: Soul Eater, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Quirks (My Hero Academia), Alternate Universe - Soul Eater Fusion, F/F, F/M, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, Jealous Bakugou Katsuki, M/M, Mentioned League of Villains (My Hero Academia), Midoriya Inko adopts Shinsou Hitoshi, Mild Gore, Minor Injuries, Parental Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Protective Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Hisashi, She lowkey adopts them all as her own, Shinsou Hitoshi Replaces Mineta Minoru, Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters, Supportive Class 1-A (My Hero Academia), Supportive Shinsou Hitoshi, Tags will be updated as the story progresses, Their quirks are tired to their soul wavelength, There's a lot going on here that we dont have time to unpack, They're fighitng demons so ofc they're going to get hurt, This boy has a lot og growing up to do, Yagi Toshinori | All Might Adopts Midoriya Izuku, as well as accept some feelings hes been holding in, but for this story they will not have their quirks like in canon, for every relationship, they're all in this together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23743144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/where_is_my_hairbrush/pseuds/where_is_my_hairbrush
Summary: At age six, Katsuki Bakugou began to develop his weapon abilities. At age six, he realized that his soul wavelength hurt anyone who'd tried to wield him. At age six, he lost his best friend, Izuku Midoriya, after telling the wanna be meister he'd never be able to wield a weapon such as himself.Now, as he was entering the high school of his dreams, that Deku decides to show his face?! After all these years?!Fuck. That.(Soul Eater x MHA au that's been dancing around my mind)
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Shinsou Hitoshi, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Ashido Mina & Bakugou Katsuki & Jirou Kyouka & Kaminari Denki & Kirishima Eijirou & Sero Hanta, Ashido Mina/Kirishima Eijirou, Asui Tsuyu & Iida Tenya & Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto & Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Iida Tenya/Uraraka Ochako, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Inko/Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku & Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto
Comments: 118
Kudos: 222





	1. bitter beginnings

When he was younger, Katsuki Bakugou wanted to be just like his mom. 

He took after his mother in appearance after all: short spikey blond hair with piercing red eyes. His mom, Mitsuki, was his idol: a badass weapon who took shit from nobody, her fiery temper just an example of how deadly she could be. Her weapon form was a huge flamethrower that could either be a steady stream of fire or shoot out flame-like bullets. His father, Masaru, was the only one she deemed worthy of wielding her, as he didn’t seem bothered by her spit fire personality. He was the only one who could help her keep a level head during battles with demons. Katsuki would never admit it out loud, but he thought his dad was pretty badass too.

When his parents met during their Choosing Day, or the day a meister was supposed to meet their supposed weapon partner. This day was supposed to be special, and after this day there was no doubt about who would be the best partner for you. Even so, his father was constantly questioned for his weapon of choice, like his mom couldn’t hear the bullshit people were saying. But Masaru always laughed it off and instead would say something he liked about his partner.

To this day, whenever his dad would talk about his mom’s strong nature, he would do so with such endearment. Katsuki often found his mom smiling softly at her husband, her eyes losing the hard edge they always had. It wasn’t always the case, but those who had good relations with their weapons would often marry. That was the case for his parents at least. Katsuki would like to think that he would also marry whoever his meister was.

One afternoon at the park Katsuki had the opportunity to watch his parents fight some low-leveled demons. The young boy saw throughout the fight that his mother would take the brunt of the damages. He saw how his father would try to dodge so she wouldn’t have to, but in the end, the weapon was more bet up than her partner was. After they had won, obviously, their son noticed his mother was favoring her left arm, and that his father was supporting her more than he should’ve. When they came home after the fight, his dad told him to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom upstairs.

Quickly running upstairs, he flings the bathroom door open and frantically searches for the first aid kit. In the process he knocked over plenty of things, but once he found the kit under the sink, he grabbed it and ran back downstairs. His dad had his mom’s head between his hands, his thumbs softly caressing her cheeks. She looked tired, but was sporting a smile for him, one of her hands holding his. They were whispering something to each other, but Katsuki was too far away to hear what. When the adults heard their frantic child come flying down the stairs, they were quick to reassure him that his mom wasn’t in trouble, and just had a few scratches they wanted to take care of.

After his mom was all patched up and his dad gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, he went to clean up the mess Katsuki made finding the kit. When he was out of earshot, the curious child asked his tired mother why she took more damage than her partner.

“Dad is just as strong as you, right Mom? So why did you purposefully get hurt for him?

“Oh honey,” she said, taking his small hand and giving it a squeeze. She pulled him into her lap and allowed him to bury his head in her shoulder. The mother was silent for a moment before speaking once more.

“Your dad is super strong, but he wasn’t made like you and me. He could be hurt a lot worse if I didn’t step in. Plus, if he’s hurt, then who could wield me?” Katsuki looked up at his mother with furrowed brows. Seeing his confused expression, his mom continued, “I’m really a strong weapon, but there’s only so much I can do if I don’t have my partner to balance me out. I can turn into a weapon, sure, but then what? I would lay there useless on the ground and just wait for someone to pick me up?” She sighed and shook her head.

“When you get a partner of your own, you know how much damage they can take before they get really hurt. It’s our job as weapons to make sure it never comes to that point. Do you understand?” His mom was staring at him, but he wasn’t sure he understood what she was saying. It sounded like the stronger of the pair was always the weapon, so the weapon should take any damage during a fight. Shrugging his shoulders, he nodded that he understood. The young child decided that he would just have to be the strongest so his own partner would never get hurt.

A few months later, after Katsuki turned five, his abilities began to show. His arms would turn to blades, and sometimes he would accidentally cut people around him. His parents began to train him on his weapon control, since they didn’t want more accidents to occur. His mother later took over his training, and she was harsh on him, pushing him beyond his limits every day. They would often end with the young boy screaming in frustration, which led to Mitsuki reprimanding him not to scream out his frustrations but work through them. These training sessions, while necessary, led to a strain on their relationship.

However, it was during these training sessions where Katsuki learned the most important lesson as a weapon. As he lay panting in the grass, his mom came and sat down next to him, taking a long drink from her water bottle. They were quiet, letting the nightfall’s cool air dry the sweat off their bodies, the only noise being Katsuki ragged breathing. After a few more moments of silence, his mom stood, and offered her hand to pull him up. Taking it, he stands then goes to pull his hand back, only she keeps him there with a squeeze.

“Katsuki, I need to tell you something really important, and I need you to listen when I tell you this, okay? You are an amazing weapon, so you need to be picky on who you let wield you—some of these assholes have no idea what they’re doing, believe me. Partnerships are so important, so make sure you choose wisely.”

His mom never went soft on him, so of course he took what she said to heart. His partner should only match up to his own brilliance, after all. At age six, he was able to maintain both his human and weapon form, a feat that some thought impossible for that age range. His childhood best friend, Izuku Midoriya, thought he was amazing for being able to do it. They would often spend time during or after school discussing potential attacks Katsuki could do in weapon form. He would never admit this, but Deku, the rude nickname given to the boy, often had good insight. When Katsuki was able to add a fire element upon his weapon form, everyone knew he was going to be an amazing weapon when he could find someone to wield him.

Katsuki took the advice his mother gave to heart after seeing these wanna-be meisters brag about how great their skills already were. He rolled his eyes when he heard older boys at his school brag about already meeting their partner, and how they were going to be the best demon-slayer team possible. It got old fast, and it rubbed Katsuki the wrong way. It was a weird feeling, knowing that some only saw people like him as a means to an end, so he kept true to the advice given and kept those types of meisters at bay.

It was difficult, because it wasn’t often that someone so young had the skill set Katsuki did. This impressed the whole student body when word got out, and almost every day he had people demanding that they should work together. He declined each one, causing people to either like his confidence or hate his arrogance. But Deku only seemed to be even more impressed by his abilities. The conversations with the shy boy with the messy green locks turned from potential attacks to curious questions, like how the transformation process worked, and if it ever hurt to shoot blades out of his skin. Deku was very curious, but Katsuki enjoyed the attention and found an outlet to explore possible new techniques.

The day that changed everything was when Katsuki discovered that he could add fire to his blades while in his human form. His full weapon form had cracks of what appeared to be lava moving beneath the black steel of the blade. He drew more attention from upperclassmen, but his answer was still the same: no. Deku was different from the rest of those losers; he never pushed Katsuki for a partnership and would sing his praises.

Katsuki had once thought that Deku was just a late bloomer and was curious to see what kind of weapon he would be. This was how Katsuki discovered that while Deku may have some weapon blood in his system, he was pretty sure the quiet boy had inherited his mom’s skills as a meister. Katsuki scoffed at the idea: Deku was too soft to be a meister; he saw demons and would freeze up, which meant he had to be recused. No, Katsuki didn’t think that Deku was made to fight demons.

When they got older, Deku brought up the idea of being partners. Apparently, his mom was giving him lessons on controlling his soul wavelength, and thought that while his soul wasn’t super strong, it held the potential for a weapon pairing. The blond weapon refused him every time, just like the others. Anytime that the idea was brought up, Katsuki shut it down rather harshly.

_“Kacchan! I was wonder if I could see--”_

_“No.”_

_“W-what? I didn’t even-!”_

_“It's never going to happen Deku. Drop it.”_

_“But I know-!”_

_“You don’t know shit! So shut the fuck up and finish your damn meal!”_

Conversations like these weren’t uncommon, but they also didn’t seem to deter Deku’s attempts on asking. Katsuki wasn’t sure why he felt such anger whenever his childhood friend asked him for a partnership. The refusals got harsher as they got older. When they reached their final year of middle school, Katsuki had driven a divide between the two of them after a particularly harsh argument.

_“Why can’t you just listen to me! I’ve been training, I think I can--”_

_“You can just shut the fuck up! You’re nothing but a weakling, Deku, do you really think that your pathetic excuse for a soul could handle me?! You can see souls, right? Then you know that compared to me, you’re nothing.”_

_“B-but I’m weak now! I know I can get stronger! I can prove it to you!”_

_“HA?? You think you're worthy of proving anything to me?! What I’ve seen so far hasn’t been impressive at all! Stick to what you’re good at: asking questions and fawning over those who are stronger than you.”_

Katsuki didn’t want to be cruel, and he hated how the words felt on his tongue. The blond knew his words would hurt because he was aiming for them to. Deku didn’t seem to understand that Katsuki was looking out for him. He knew that regardless that his mom would have his ass after she caught wind about their argument, but it looks like Deku kept his fucking mouth shut about it. In fact, the curious boy became quieter after that, but the weapon thought it was for the best. That nosey shit should just keep his head down and maybe he wouldn’t get fucking hurt. Weapons that aren't compatible with their meisters burnt them, and with Katsuki’s added fire ability he didn’t want to make that burning worse.

There was one time in middle school, the weapon decided to allow one of his classmates to try picking him up during their lunch break. After he transformed into his weapon form, a sharp hum rang across the room, gathering the attention of everyone nearby. It was rare that Katsuki allowed someone the chance to wield him, so the fact he was doing so gathered a crowd. But when his classmate tried to grab him out of the air, he severely burnt his hands in the process. He quickly let go with a screech, dropping the weapon on the ground with a loud thud.

Katsuki transformed back only to see his classmate’s palms blistered and bubbled, making him feel sick with the realization that he did that. But he said nothing to his injured classmate and called the teacher over to assist him. The weapon didn’t allow a second attempt since it was clear that nobody was at his level, especially Deku. Who was there in the crowd, studying the situation calmly, as if he wasn’t watching his classmate’s hands melt off. Katsuki quickly fled the scene, ignoring the people around him. When he heard Deku call after him, he only ran faster. That was the last time he remembered seeing Deku, since the idiot seemed to back off after witnessing the extensive damage Katsuki was capable of.

He finished middle school alone, and tried not to think of his missing friend, who disappeared from his life without a word. It’s true that their relationship had become strained over the years, but Deku wasn’t one to give up on anyone. Was he not worth Deku’s time anymore? Maybe he found someone stronger to admire than Katsuki himself, which annoyed Katsuki to no end. Fine then, if Deku wanted to admire the strongest, then he simply had to become stronger. Then Deku could come crawling out of whatever hole he had decided to hide in.

Training was hard work, and often left him drenched in sweat and bone tired. But with his mom’s help, he steadily improved his control over his own weapon abilities. He began to believe that he could be his own meister, as the image of his classmates melting flesh was seared into his mind. Since that time, he had a few people convince him to try again, only to end up with the same results. He felt sick, and for a point of time the smell of burnt meat made him hurl.

After middle school came high school, and the place where he was thinking of going was Death Weapon Meister Academy’s sister school, U.A. High. He knew that they pushed pairings between weapons and meisters there, but he had the opportunity to learn more about his weaponry from certified instructors. Plus, there may even be a reason why nobody was able to touch him in his weapon form.

He talked to his mom before Choosing Day, trying his damnedest to hide his nerves from her. He knew that nobody was able to hold him in his weapon form, so how was he supposed to find someone who could wield him? Mitsuki reassured her son that there would be someone there for him, whether he realized it or not. She had a knowing smile on her slips, and that caused Katsuki to become suspicious. Before he could ask her about it, she was aggressively shoving him out of the house. She demanded that he make her proud, and slammed the door shut.

Making his way to the school after being shoved out of his house, the weapon wasn’t sure what he was about to walk into. Earlier in the day, his dad told him that if he didn’t find her partner today that it would be alright. He didn’t partner with his mom until he had seen her punch a student across the room for disrespecting her. That gave the boy some confidence as he walked up to the iron black gates of the school. He was greeted by a woman with an inappropriate uniform who gave him directions on where to go after she’d given him his name tag. Katsuki noticed that his name tag had both his name and what he was: a weapon.

The nervous weapon began his way towards the front entrance, taking in the entrance of U.A. After crossing the blue arc, the red pavement seemed to stretch on forever, surrounded by semi-tall trees. He wondered if in the right season if any of them would bloom flowers. There were two gigantic buildings made up of glass, connected by a slim hallway making it look like the letter “H”. When he got closer, he realized that there were four identical buildings, all connected with that small hallway, making all the buildings look like the letter “H”. It was an interesting design choice, but Katsuki wouldn’t complain if it provided what he needed from it.

To the weapon’s surprise, a familiar laugh rang out at the top of the stairs. Before the blond could register what he was doing, he picked up his pace to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, there was stupid Deku, laughing awkwardly while some girl tried her best to calm him down. That idiot must have bumped into her, and now was freaking out and apologizing. The girl didn’t seem too bothered, and her smile suggested he found his friend—ex friend is more like it—amusing rather than annoying. Clicking his tongue, Katsuki walked past the two without stopping to acknowledge them. If that stupid Deku had learned anything, now was his time to prove it. If not, then Katsuki was going to find someone who could work with him.

Izuku had tried to call out to him, but to the boy’s dismay he didn’t receive a response. While frustrating, the meister would not be dismayed by Kacchan’s behavior. He came here to prove he could be a good meister for anyone, and possibly strong enough to wield Kacchan. He sighed, the momentary panic about upsetting the nice girl— Ochaco Uraraka—forgotten for now. She cleared her throat next to him and asked if he would like to walk with her to where the event was taking place. The green haired boy agreed, and quickly found himself fond of the girl. She was nice, cheery, and didn’t seem to mind his stuttering. Uraraka carried the conversation so well, Izuku couldn’t remember the last time he felt this at ease with a stranger. It also helped that her soul wavelength was calm and soothing, helping with the boy’s high nerves. It really helped that she was a weapon, one Izuku found he wouldn’t mind working with.

When they entered the room, the amount of people overwhelmed Izuku. There was a boy the weapon seemed to know immediately and dragged Izuku over to introduce them. The man’s name was Tenya Iida, a very stiff meister who was also looking for a compatible weapon. He gave Izuku a once over and declared rather loudly that he simply didn’t have what it took to be a good meister. Uraraka gripped Izuku’s arm tight and gave Iida an intense stare, before the two took their leave. Iida stood where he was, his intense gaze following the pair as they left. Izuku was so uncomfortable after that exchange from a fellow meister, that surely, he must be viewed as the worst possible choice for any weapon who saw that exchange. Uraraka assured him that he was fine, and that any weapon would be lucky to have him. That she was even interested, and if she didn’t find someone, she would be happy to work with Izuku! Said boy did not like the feeling of being the second option, but the thought helped him regain some of his confidence.

Then of course he had to bump into the Shouto Todoroki, the most well-known weapon in the whole country. His father was a powerful meister, falling short from the most powerful one: All Might. Izuku gulped as he felt cold eyes rank across his body with a sense that he was being assessed. With a surprising surge of confidence, the once-nervous boy straightened his back and stared at the other head on, not backing down but not exactly starting a fight. Todoroki narrowed his eyes, then released a small hold on his soul wavelength, and power seemed to roll off him. The meister was almost overwhelmed, but this was not his first time around such forces of nature. Izuku had grown up with Kacchan after all, so if this weapon wanted to intimidate him, then he was going to have to do more than show off his soul.

At his refusal to back down, the boy in front of him seemed to defrost, the cold exterior was replaced by one of curiosity—the heterochronic eyes once narrowed now softened, his head now tilted as he assessed the meister in front of him. The green-haired boy’s soul wasn’t particularly strong, but he wouldn’t call him weak either. It was oddly perfectly normal, an oddity coming from a meister to be sure. There didn’t seem to be anything special about him, so why did Shouto feel as if he had just met someone interesting? The meister was still on the defensive, but Shouto didn’t find himself wanting to confront him. The weapon knew his father would have wanted him to put this boy in his place, but Shouto was only amused by him.

His family name alone should have been cause to back down. But this particular boy, clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, stood his ground. While he had bumped into Shouto, this strange man hadn’t apologized or gave the famous weapon any indication that he would. Said weapon wasn’t used to someone like that, and it made him… curious and interested. Turning fully towards the meister, Shouto finally relaxed his posture, his soul’s wavelength no longer overwhelming.

“What’s your name?”

“Izuku Midoriya, I’m a meister.”

“Shouto Todoroki, I’m a weapon.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Todoroki. I hope that we’ll be seeing more of each other in the future.” Midoriya said, and Shouto found himself nodding along. The meister looked less tense, his shoulders no longer tense. He’s even smiling now, his eyes losing the glare they once held. Shouto hummed and extended his hand, which Midoriya took without much thought. They two shook hands and Shouto took his leave.

The weapon knew that Midoriya would be a suitable meister with the right weapon-pairing. When he left the pair, the other weapon present barely catching his attention, Shouto found himself thinking of the definite meister and what interesting adventures he would have. With another hum, he spent the rest of the time looking for his assigned meister, the one his father chose for him.

With the leave of the intimidating weapon, Uraraka had to shake Izuku a few times before he snapped out of whatever trance he was in. Her soft, brown eyes carefully took in his face, looking for an explanation the flustered meister wasn’t sure he had. The brown-haired weapon huffed and tapped the top of his head, causing him to yelp in surprise and bat her hands away. This led to her flicking his forehead, which caused her new friend to squawk in response and flail his arms. After a few more nudges they both seemed to relax, the laughter smoothing the harsh lines on Izuku’s face.

“Look at you, Izuku! Picking fights on the first day! That has to be some sort of record!”

“Uraraka! I did not start that fight!” He said, face flushed with embarrassment. His blush only egged Uraraka on.

“Uh, yes you did! You bumped straight into a Todoroki and didn’t even apologize! Who does that?! People looking for fights, that’s who!”

Izuku whined and buried his face in his hands, Uraraka patting his back with mock sympathy.

“I think you need to wait at least 48 hours before finding yourself an enemy. Can you promise me that?”

“Ochaco! I doubt he would even consider me an enemy!”

“You simply amaze me, every single day, you find another way to amaze me.”

“We just met!”

“That’s a good point, but I still feel like my statement stands. Anyway, let’s go grab something to eat since I’m starving!” The weapon said with a grin on her face, causing Izuku to sport one of his own.

“Alright, after you.”

“Such a gentleman! Catch me, I’m swooning.”

“You’re ridiculous, obviously I’m the one swooning by your charms.”

“You’re darn right!”

The two make their way to the snacks, laughing and completely unaware of the attention they were bringing themselves.

Katsuki had seen the whole scene take place with his heart lodge in his throat. He had found someone interesting, Eijiro Kirishima, whom he had dubbed Shitty Hair. He was a meister and seemed willing to work with Katsuki after they had talked some. After they had made their agreement, Shitty Hair brought him over to the group that he had met. Katsuki found them interesting enough, and there was a girl with bright pink hair who was a weapon with the ability to produce acid. He found that pretty interesting, but before he could find out more was when he noticed stupid Deku, of all people, catch the attention of Half-n-Half, the bastard Todoroki.

That stupid Half-n-Half carried this air around him that he knew he was the best and had nothing to prove. Or maybe it was the fact that he was so effortlessly good at what he did that put Katsuki on edge. Said weapon wasn’t used to being second to anyone, especially not a bastard. He felt a strange sense of panic as the bastard seemed to reassess Deku, of all people, before walking away with a smile.

He knew that Deku was something else, even if he didn’t like acknowledging it. He was one determined motherfucker, and above all else he was loyal to a fault. Katsuki wasn’t sure how he felt about that other weapon sticking so close to Deku, doing her own personal read on him. It suddenly felt weird that he hadn’t said anything before and now he felt like he didn’t have a right to say anything. He shouldn’t have felt this way—he had decided on a partner who had potential, so there was no need for him to be this upset over who Deku was talking to.

But the irritation didn’t leave him as others came to talk to the pair, Deku seeming to grow more confident as more people came to talk with him. Shitty Hair must’ve sensed his mood, and after taking in the situation decided they would say hello to the pair. Grabbing Katsuki by the bicep, the meister dragged him with him to the duo. The green haired boy tensed at the sight of the weapon, but his weapon smiled and waved them over.

“Hello you two! I just wanted to take the chance to introduce ourselves before classes start! My name is Eijiro Kirishima, and who I have with me is Katsuki Bakugou, my weapon partner! Pleased to meet you!” He smiled a big toothy grin, and Izuku was taken aback by how pointy they were. But the boy was nice enough, so Izuku offered his own smile and extended his hand.

“Hi there, my name is Izuku Midoriya, meister currently looking for a weapon. I’m glad Kacchan was able to find someone to partner with!” Kirishima looked between the blond and the green haired boy, his red eyebrows raised.

“You two know each other?” He asked, and Izuku gave him a nod. Uraraka quickly stepped in to fill the silence.

“I don’t think I’ve had the chance to introduce myself! My name is Ochaco Uraraka, my meister is floating around here somewhere. I’ll introduce you when I have the chance. I can’t wait to work with you all!” She said, and Kirishima nodded earnestly.

Katsuki kept his mouth shut, but his eyes stared straight into the side of Deku’s face. The only sign of discomfort was Deku’s occasional fidgeting, which this Round Face seemed to have under control. He didn’t allow the fact that the two weren’t paired for his anger to dissipate. In fact, the longer he was standing near that stupid Deku the more his anger rose.

While Shitty Hair and Deku talked, the blond weapon felt Round Face staring at him. He turned towards her with a raised eyebrow, and she narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin in response. Round Face then placed her hand back on Deku’s arm while glaring at the other weapon. Deku glanced towards her but was so engaged with his conversation with Shitty Hair that he didn’t react beyond that.

Katsuki felt himself narrow his eyes in response, before clicking his tongue and pointing his finger in Deku’s face, causing the boy to stop talking and look at him.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Deku? Weaklings aren’t cut out to be meisters.” He said, causing Shitty Hair and Round Face to turn toward him with different levels of disbelief. Whatever, the two didn’t know their history, nor was it any of their fucking business. This was between him and Deku, who had already broken out in a sweat.

“W-well, Kacchan, as I told you I’ve been training—”

“HUH?! You think a few fucking months of training will make you better than me?!”

“W-what?! Kacchan, I didn’t say that!”

“If that’s what you think I won’t feel bad about you freezing up in the field and getting slaughtered by the demon you’re up against.”

“Wow man! That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Shitty Hair intervened, stepping between the two. Deku was working his bottom lip between his teeth, but he looked more determined than afraid. What the fuck had gotten into him?

“Kacchan, I have worked my ass off every single day to get where I am today. You may not think I’m worth it, but I swear to you that I’ll find a weapon and make them into the greatest death scythe! Whoever that will be can guarantee that I’ll make them number one in the world! And I’ll do it with or without you believing in me.” Deku said, his chest heaving and his eyes wide, his lips were trembling, but his hands were clenched firmly at his side. The only thing that gave away his true feelings were the forming tears he was rapidly blinking away.

Katsuki hated how Deku looked, trying to defy him with words alone. He knew damn well Katsuki would become the world’s greatest death scythe, so how dare he try to prove the weapon otherwise? Without thinking it through, the enraged blond grabbed a fistful of Deku’s shirt and dragged him closer. He saw the meister’s eyes widen and he grabbed at the hand holding him.

“Don’t you are fucking look down on me, Deku. You’re nothing without someone powerful holding you up. How can you ever dream of making the world’s greatest death scythe when you have a weak as shit soul?! Stay the fuck out of my way, you damn nerd.” Katsuki said, his eyes boring into Deku’s with such heat all he could do was nod.

The blond weapon clicked his tongue and released Deku with a sneer on his lips. The boy quickly created distance between the two, and Shitty Hair pulled him away with the help of Scotch Tape, one of the people he had been talking to before. He spared one glance back at Deku, who was holding his chest and assuring Round Face that he was fine. With a roll of his eyes he turned away and refused to acknowledge the weight in his chest.

When Izuku finally regained control of his breathing, she sent Uraraka a quick smile and reminded her that they were interrupted before they could grab something to eat. Seeing his need for a distraction, she decided to play along and let out a loud, exaggerated huff. But before she could say anything, Iida sped walked their way, and Izuku felt himself become weary as another person sought them out. But he became more confused when the other meister stiffly bowed in front of them both. Blinking in surprise, Izuku wasn’t sure what to expect when Iida began talking.

“I would like to apologize for my previous behavior. You are not weak, in fact your soul is strong enough to withstand not just Todoroki but Katsuki as well, two extremely volatile weapons. I am impressed at your abilities to withstand such powerful soul wavelengths, and hope that you are able to accept my apology!” He then stiffly straightened his back and bowed once more to Uraraka who stepped back at the speed of the bow.

“I would also like to apologize to you, as I made a fool of myself for not understanding why you would introduce me to such a strong weapon. I see the error of my ways, and hope that you will forgive me. I would still like to work with you as my partner, as our souls are very compatible! I would completely understand, however, if you have changed your mind after meeting Midoriya today.”

Izuku wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but he quickly reassured the other meister.

“I understand! I don’t look like much, and I’m only able to withstand such intense power due to my training. I hope that we can be friends?” Izuku offered his hand, and once Iida fully straightened his back, he firmly took it in his with a firm shake.

“I would be honored to work alongside you.” Iida said with such seriousness, Izuku wasn’t sure how else to respond other than a sharp nod and a small smile. Uraraka saved him from having to respond fully by clapping her hands in excitement. Handshake now over, the two turned towards the weapon with a confused expression, one she picked up right away on and began to explain.

“Oh, sorry about that. I’m just so happy that the two of you are going to get along! Izuku, I was unable to fully introduce him early, but this is Tenya Iida, my meister. We met earlier and decided our soul wavelengths were compatible enough to become partners! But after seeing how he treated you I was going to denounce our partnership. I’m glad it didn’t have to come to that!”

Izuku nodded, the events from earlier now starting to make more sense. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed, but he wasn’t terribly hurt by the news. He liked Uraraka but felt no immediate need to step between this partnership. He smiled at them both and stretched, trying once more to distract himself from the emotions he was not ready to process.

“I must really be behind without a partner yet, huh? Everyone just seemed to click with others, and I haven’t found anyone yet.”

“Oh Midoriya, I’m sure that you will find someone! I would be shocked if a weapon did not want to pair up with you!” Iida said, which Uraraka nodded in agreement.

“That’s right! But it could be due to you causing all kinds of trouble for yourself, Izuku.”

“Hey! That last one was not my fault!” Izuku argued, and Uraraka laughed.

“Oh, so you admit the first one was your fault, then?”

“…That wasn’t fair and you know it.”

After more teasing at Izuku’s expense, the two agreed to help him find his own partner, but after talking to a few people still lingering in the Dining Hall there weren’t many options to choose from. The only remaining weapons were Todoroki, who appeared to be content with a meister at his side, and a quiet purple haired person Izuku hadn’t spoken to yet.

The three made their way over to introduce themselves, but the boy only silently observed them, not saying a word. Izuku didn’t know why, something about how the silent boy held himself endeared himself to the meister. Said meister also thought it was funny how the boy would hide his smiles at Iida’s antics or Uraraka’s jokes. After he felt like the boy had warmed up to them, Izuku extended his hand to introduce himself, and offer a partnership.

“Only if you want to, and if you want a test trial week or so to see if we’ll work out, then I would be comfortable with that too.” The purple haired boy stared at him for a while, staring at his hand.

“Why do you want to work with me?” He asked, his soft and slightly hesitant eyes searched for explanations on Izuku’s face.

“I’m not sure, but something in my gut tells me that we would make a great team. Would you like to give us a try?” Izuku asked, his hand still extended. The boy seemed to consider him for a moment before nodding, finally grabbing his hand.

Izuku reached out with his soul wavelength and saw the other doing the same, getting a feeling for compatibility. The boy then introduces himself as Hitoshi Shinsou, and, liking the feel of Izuku’s soul, agrees on a temporary partnership. Izuku shoots him a giant grin, and Shinsou finds himself offering a small smile. Uraraka declared their mission complete and asked them all if they’d like to go grab lunch somewhere. Iida suggested a few places in the order of their location to their current one, and the three began walking towards the exit debating on where to eat.

Katsuki watched with irritation, upset that Deku seemed to find a partner after all. But he had overheard that Deku wasn’t expecting this relationship to last, and that seemed to satisfy whatever was weighing him down. Plus, he was currently listening to Shitty Hair talk to the people around him, Alien and Scotch Tape were among them, as well as someone Katsuki gave the nickname Pikachu. He’d bother learning their names later.

With that in mind, Katsuki pointedly looked away from the group as they walked past, ignoring Deku’s lingering gaze. When they passed, he clicked his tongue, irritated on how the day went. The weapon suddenly felt the gaze of Deku’s new weapon, and when he chanced a glance found him sending a smug look. Irritated, he called for Shitty Hair to make a fucking decision already and tried to ignore the rising feeling of the weight in his chest.

After finally settling on a place, the new group of friends lead the way, Shitty Hair hanging back with Katsuki. Th blond had so many conflicting emotions, and it was all thanks to that fucking Deku, who was once more bringing these feelings into his life. He decided that it was for the best if he just ignored the nerd, even if he felt like a bastard when he did so. He thought back to earlier in the day, with his mother looking so smug when she kicked him out of the house.

When he got home, she had a lot of fucking explaining to do.


	2. growing pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A loud slam of the front door alerted Mitsuki that her son was home. Though surprised, she says nothing and holding her warm mug of tea, she braces herself as the sound of stomping feet come closer.Her son enters the kitchen with narrowed eyes, his shoulders are hunched, and his hands are flexed at his sides. His jaw is set, and he’s grinding his teeth, a sure sign of his agitation. Before she could get a word in, her son beat her to it.

A loud slam of the front door alerted Mitsuki that her son was home. 

Though surprised, she says nothing and holding her warm mug of tea, she braces herself as the sound of stomping feet come closer. Her son enters the kitchen with narrowed eyes, his shoulders are hunched, and his hands are flexed at his sides. His jaw is set, and he’s grinding his teeth, a sure sign of his agitation. Before she could get a word in, her son beat her to it.

“Why the fuck was Deku at the same fucking school as me?! He backs off in middle school, becomes a fucking nobody, and suddenly he thinks he can be a fucking meister?! The fuck is up with that?!” Katsuki says, and Mitsuki narrows her eyes in response. Right now, it looked like Katsuki needed to vent, so she took a sip of her tear, remained silent, and let him continue. 

“That son of a bitch really thinks he can make a weapon a death scythe?! He really believes that someone other than me will be the number one death scythe?! FUCK HIM!”

He’s pacing now, his hands look like they’re smoking while his eyes look unfocused. Those red eyes are staring directly at the floor, cloudy and unfocused. Mitsuki’s eyebrows shot up to see the emotion there, surprised that her son is so distraught from seeing his childhood friend. It took her a moment to fully process his words, then she leaned against her countertop and waited. After it looked like Katsuki had gone into his own head, his mother decided now was the time to respond.

“So… it sounds like you didn’t partner with Izuku, did you?” She asked, causing Katsuki to freeze in his pacing. He turned towards his mom and cocked his head, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Why the absolute fuck would I want to partner with that weakling?” Katsuki asked, which caused his mother to copy his expression. 

“Wait, you didn’t ask him to partner with you?”

“NO! Mom, what the fuck?! Why the hell would I have asked that nobody to partner with me?!” Mitsuki pursed her lips, set her cup of tea down, and crossed her arms.

“Wait what?! Katsuki, he’s been working his ass off to be compatible with powerful soul wavelengths! He has desperately been trying to reach your level for this day, did you really not talk to him?!” Her answer caused her son to throw his hands up in the air.

“How the _fuck_ was I supposed to know that?! That idiot hasn’t talked to me since he saw me _melt our classmate’s hands off_!”

There was silence that rang between them, Mitsuki’s expression softened and she reached towards her son, pulling him into a strong hug. He didn’t reciprocate, but he did relax in her hold. She ran her fingers through his hair, so similar to her own, and sighed. 

“I’m sorry, I thought that you two were still on speaking terms. Inko believed that you two were still talking too. We thought that you two would partner up, since Izuku had been training for so long.”

Katsuki took a moment, allowing the new information to sink in. If Deku wanted to partner up, why had he pulled away? 

_"Why can’t you just listen to me! I’ve been training, I think I can—”_

_“You can just shut the fuck up! You’re nothing but a weakling, Deku, do you really think that your pathetic excuse for a soul could handle me?! You can see souls, right? Then you know that compared to me, you’re nothing.”_

Katsuki closed his eyes and finally returned his mom’s hug, burying his head into her shoulder. His shoulders started to shake, but neither commented on it. 

“Mom, what else don’t I know?” Mitsuki hummed before responding. 

“Let’s maybe move this conversation to the living room. Sounds like we’ll be talking for a while, and I’d rather be comfortable than not.” Katsuki sighed before nodding, releasing his mother as the two made their way to the living room. His dad glanced up from his spot on the couch, more used to the yelling than he should be.

Raising an eyebrow, Mitsuki singled for him to stay, as she made her way next to her husband. Katsuki sat in the chair opposite to the couch, elbows on his knees and his head resting on folded hands. He raised an eyebrow and waited for his mother to start talking. She sighed and leaned back into the couch and tried not to think of the upcoming headache this would cause. 

“I’m not going to lie; I don’t know where exactly to start. As you know we’ve been friends for years, she went to the same school as us, and we consider her to be a close family friend. That’s why you and Izuku had so many playdates, and why she was over so often.” Mitsuki paused, biting her lip and balled her hands into fists. Masaru took over. 

“She had a falling out with her weapon, who is also Izuku’s father. This happened while you were younger, but we knew that she wasn’t the same after that. It’s hard for anyone to lose touch with their pair, especially since those two were so close.” His father said, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before making direct eye contact with his son.

“Now, just so we’re clear, nothing we discuss tonight is to leave this living room, alright Katsuki? We’re only telling you what we thought you knew, as it’s not really our right to disclose another family’s personal information.” His father said, and the boy cocked an eyebrow, but nodded. He didn’t know that Deku’s dad was completely out of the picture, but it made sense. He’s personally never seen the bastard around, and Deku certainly never talked about him.

“What does this have to do with Deku and training?” Katsuki asked, and Mitsuki hummed and nodded, seeing his confusion.

“We weren’t sure if Izuku would take after his mother or father, but we were prepared to help him control his weapon abilities if he were to develop them. As you know, he took after his mom, so she wanted to make sure he knew how to control his soul wavelength. She’s an impressive meister in her own right, skilled enough to equip her own soul wavelength as a weapon.” She smiled and shook her head, remembering a time back in their high school days where Inko would smile sweetly before she’d punch some asshole through a wall with the power of her soul wavelength. Her husband shot her an amused look, most likely remembering something similar.

“But of course, Inko couldn’t always be with Izuku, and had to call a friend to help explain to her son what came to her too naturally. In short… as talented as she was, teaching came hard to her.”

Katsuki took in the new information, tapping his fingers against his bicep as he thought.

“So, someone came into the picture to help Deku out, and then what? Now he thinks that he’s better than me…? That doesn’t make any fucking sense…” Katsuki said, his eyes focused on the table between them. Masaru hummed and caught his son’s eye, smiling at him. 

“I doubt he thinks that, Katsuki. Maybe he was tired after the training? From my understanding, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.”

“So what? Mom kicked my ass every fucking day, and I still could handle going to school.” Katsuki said, lacking his usual heat. Talking things out helped him piece together things he hadn’t understood. The clarity of why Deku never talked to him after that horrible day, fuck Deku didn’t really talk to anyone after that day.

His parents were silent, watching their son put together this new information. 

“I’m assuming that the two of you didn’t partner up today?”

“No, I partnered up with someone else. Deku also found somebody to partner with. Doesn’t look like he was too concerned with working with me.” Katsuki said, the bitter words making his tongue hurt. Mitsuki narrowed her eyes, annoyed and confused by the news.

“What?! If you partnered up why didn’t you bring your partner over?! I know they aren’t Izuku, but you know we would have wanted to meet them!” She said and her son glared at her.

“Excuse me, I didn’t think he should have been present when I demanded an explanation for your fucking behavior earlier today. First impressions and all that shit.” He said, now leaning back into his chair, slouching in his seat. She clicked her tongue and stood, staring down her pouting son.

“Okay, so when do we meet him?” She asked, and Katsuki groaned.

“I don’t fucking know; I don’t even know if we’ll work out! He hasn’t…. He hasn’t tried my weapon form yet.” He said, and the nervous edge to his words stopped Mitsuki from her reprimanding. She nodded and sat back down, her husband placing a calming hand on her knee.

“Then maybe this is the opportunity to see if these partnerships could work out. It’s not super uncommon that some people switch partnerships within their first week of school. The longer you wait though, the harder it’ll be to switch. You grow with your partner, the missions you take are like bonding experiences.” She said leaning into her husband, who smiled at her.

“You’re young, and while we think that you and Izuku would make a good pairing, we’re not going to push you one way or another. You have our support with your decision.” His father said, smiling gently at him.

“Yeah brat, just don’t fuck up.” His mother added. Katsuki snorted, but nodded, showing that he heard them. He closed his eyes and sighed. 

“What a fucking day, I’m gonna go shower then hit the hay. Classes start tomorrow and all that.” He said, and his dad nodded. 

“Alright Katsuki, if you’re hungry let me know, I’ll make you something.” He said, and Katsuki stood, stretched, and waved a hand at him.

“I’m fine, later.” He said, then made his way to his room.

Closing his bedroom door, he sighed loudly and stood in his dark room. He was overwhelmed by memories of the past, most of them were about Deku. When they were kids, they got along alright; Deku often came up with creative ideas for potential attacks he could do in his weapon form. Katsuki didn’t realize how much he liked talking about those kinds of things with Deku until he disappeared from his life.

And now Deku comes waltzing back into his life after sitting on the sidelines for how long?! Why should Katsuki even consider him for a partnership, when he himself already agreed to work with Shitty Hair?! He was nervous enough about that, and he needed to spend his energy making sure his current partnership worked. He sighed, and got ready for a shower, one he knew he needed. 

But his thoughts wouldn’t seem to stop, even after he stepped under the spray of water. What if Deku was apparently this great meister, there wasn’t any proof that Katsuki had personally seen. Plus, why would he want some weakling like Deku to be his meister, anyway? He knew that he could be a weapon without a meister, that he has seen proof of weapons being their own meisters. He knew that he would just have to work his ass off to do it. 

But he had a partner, currently. A partner who wasn’t an asshole and had this ability to make friends with anyone. He’d seen Shitty Hair gather a group around him with ease, something Katsuki himself struggled with. The weapon found himself envious of his meister’s ability. With a sigh, he furiously shampooed his hair, as if that’d get rid of his thoughts. He huffed in irritation, annoyed by his thoughts and with how his mom just assumed that him and Deku would partner up.

He wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much that Deku found a possible weapon partner, after he himself found a meister. He should be content that Deku finally seemed to move on, but the fact that he didn’t choose someone that appeared to be powerful irritated him! If he had truly been training to handle strong soul wavelengths, then why choose someone so fucking weak?!

Aggressively shaking his hair, he slammed the water off and stood in the shower, taking some deep breaths to calm down. He shouldn’t be upset; he had a decent partner and they would try to soul resonate tomorrow and… he would have his answer then. Grabbing his towel, Katsuki thought about how Deku’s weapon didn’t look overly eager to work with him, so he doubted that he’d have to worry about “what ifs” for much longer. With that final thought, Katsuki hit his light switch and flopped into bed, hoping his racing thoughts could settle so he could sleep.

The next day brought new worries, however. Deku and that stupid weapon of his seemed to get along well, while Katsuki and Shitty Hair struggled to do the same. Katsuki had burned him the first time he transformed. But that didn’t seem to stop Shitty Hair one bit. After the first few attempted, he started using his own soul wavelength to ward off some of the intense heat that radiated off his weapon form. It worked to a degree, and Katsuki saw the calluses on his meister’s palms from burns. 

Which sucked for him, because Shitty Hair always smiled at him after their training sessions, asking how he personally could be better for Katsuki. The weapon didn’t know how to feel, but he made his chest feel tight. He hated that he was hurting his meister, he knew it was his fault, but he never learned how to restrain his own soul wavelength. That didn’t seem to be a problem for Deku and his stupid partner, though.

They seemed to work so well together, and it was terrifying to the blond. The loser weapon’s form was some sort of smoky dagger, that once someone was cut with it fell to the will of the weapon. Katsuki was not going to admit how interesting that was, so instead he purposefully ignored the duo. Shitty Hair took care of pleasantries, and he ignored the heavy feeling in his chest whenever Deku looked his way. 

Deku didn’t even try to talk to Katsuki, and it wasn’t like the weapon himself was trying to reach out either. So why the fuck does he feel so upset about Deku ignoring him?! He clicked his tongue, irritated and cracked his neck.

“C’mon, Shitty Hair, I’m going for a run.”

“Sounds good! I’ll race ya!”

Izuku sighed as Kacchan sent him another glare before leaving the training area with Kirishima, who sent him another apologetic smile. He smiled back with a wave, but the smile was clearly strained. Shinsou shifted back into his human form and rubbed the back of his neck. It was obvious the treatment from Bakugou bothered him, even if Izuku denied it.  
Shinsou wasn’t sure why Izuku put up with the arrogant behavior, but anytime he tried to get his meister to talk about it, he wouldn’t have anything negative to say about the abrasive weapon. In fact, it was like the green haired boy couldn’t help but sing his praises. It rubbed Shinsou the wrong way, but he pushed it aside. His irritation wasn’t affecting their soul resonance, and he would only address it if it did. Sighing, the two packed their things and started heading towards the Midoriya household. 

After Choosing Day, Shinsou had accidentally moved into the household by the kindest women he had the pleasure of meeting. Inko Midoriya was a goddess among men, and when they met the weapon immediately saw the resemblance to his meister. Her hair was straighter, but it was the same dark green as Izuku’s. She had the same big, kind, green eyes that brightened when she saw them walk in. 

She embraced her son and started crying, which alarmed the purple haired boy until Izuku started crying just as hard. He stood there in panicked confusion, until a tall, lanky man made his way over and explained that this situation was not unusual. It was a few minutes before the tears stopped, both mother and son clung to each other as they regained their breathing. Izuku finally released his mother, stepping away with such a wide grin that Shinsou felt his breath catch in his throat. He was still confused about the crying, but his meister looked… excited? 

“I can’t believe how rude I’m being! Mom, Mr. Toshinori! This is my weapon partner, Hitoshi Shinsou! His weapon form is super cool, and I’m so lucky to have him as my partner! I can’t wait to show you what he’s capable of!” Izuku said with such sincerity, Shinsou felt himself blush and he lowered his head. It felt nice to hear Izuku speak so highly of him, after all not everyone thought his ability was “cool”. 

“Izuku, my boy! I am so happy that you have found such a great weapon!” Toshinori said, smiling softly at Izuku, who beamed at the older man. Shinsou thought the older man was interesting; he didn’t look impressive, yet he held himself like a man used to holding power. The weapon found himself wondering what kind of household Izuku came from, when the boy grabbed his hand, causing his current thought process to stop. 

“Follow me! I’ll show you where you can put your stuff! Feel free to take your shoes off by the door!” Izuku said and waited as his weapon hastily yanked his shoes off and placed them next to the others by the door. With a bounce in his step, Izuku led his new friend to his room. The inside room overwhelmed Shinsou; there were posters, action figures, photographs, and other such memorabilia scattered around of the same person: All Might, the greatest meister in the world. 

When Izuku sat on his bed and the weapon noticed the covers were the same color scheme as the memorabilia around him. With a small smirk, he sat next to Izuku and stretched out on the bed. 

“So, you’re a bit of a fanboy, huh?” The weapon asked, which caused Izuku to blush and nod his head with a soft chuckle.

“Yeah! I mean, All Might is clearly the best meister of all time! His power is unmatched, and his skill with his death scythe is just—! Sorry, yeah I’m a bit of a fanboy.” The boy said, laughing at himself. Shinsou frowned and propped himself on his elbow. 

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing. I think it’s cool that you’re so passionate about something. I’ve just never met a fanboy before.” Shinsou said, a teasing smile on his lips as he nudged Izuku with his socked foot.

“Ah—Shinsou! Gross! Your feet are smelly!”

“What? What slander is this? My feet smell like roses.”

“Don’t you deadpan me! I knew it was a mistake to allow you and Uraraka to get along!” Izuku let out a dramatic sigh, flopping on his back next to his weapon with an arm draped around his eyes. Said weapon rolled his eyes and nudged Izuku in the ribs, causing him to let out a noise of protest.

“Hey, so not to be nosey, but who exactly was that guy? I mean, you just look so much like your mother, so…” Shinsou asked, now realizing how rude that could have come across. Izuku just smiled and poked this purple haired friend’s forehead. 

“Don’t worry about it. He doesn’t leave the house much, but I’m sure it must look weird. He’s not my father, or not my blood father, anyway. I dunno where that guy is. But Mr. Toshinori helped me gain control of my soul wavelength, and not only that but helped my mom with raising me. It may sound cheesy, but he’s been around for forever that he could easily be my actual dad, you know?” Izuku said, eyes going distant. Shinsou didn’t dare speak, allowing his meister to tell him whatever he was comfortable sharing. 

“I think my mom started dating him around the summer of my last year in middle school… Yeah, that sounds about right! But that’s not important; what is important is that he cares so much about her, I’m glad that she has someone that cares so deeply about her. Seeing her smile and actually mean it makes me so happy… she’s been so unhappy for some time now…” Izuku said, the last part muttered under his breath. Shinsou reached out, and hesitantly placed his hand on his friend’s head. 

Said friend blinked at him, startled by the action by smiled and patted the hand on his hand in thanks. Silence passed between them, before Shinsou decided to speak. 

“You know, I never knew my birth dad, or my birth mom for that matter. I grew up in the foster system, and a lot of people were weirded out about my weapon form. Whenever someone tried to wield me, they claimed that I was ‘possessing’ them.” Izuku interrupted him with a snort, rolling his eyes at the accusation. His interruption made the weapon smile as he continued. 

“I guess I’m just glad that while not every relationship is happy, that your mom was able to find herself someone good to be happy with. And he obviously loves you both so much, it’s just nice to see. Shinsou said, feeling his blush returning. He wasn’t sure why he decided to share personal details of his like with Izuku, but maybe it was something with how open his face was that caused Shinsou to crave for a connection. When Izuku smiled, he knew he had it.

“You know, if you ever want to sleep over, you’re more than welcome to! I’m sure my mom wouldn’t mind, and Mr. Toshinori definitely wouldn’t mind. You can just stay in my room, or we can clean up the guest room? I’m not sure if Mr. Toshinori is still living there, so I would have to ask him. But would that be weird? I guess, since I would be insinuating…” Izuku continued the rest under his breath, muttering his thoughts aloud. 

“I don’t mind sleeping in here… I don’t really feel comfortable sleeping alone.” Shinsou said, the blush still on his face. Izuku just beamed at him and sat up. 

“C’mon! Let’s go ask to see if Mom would be alright with you sleeping over! Plus, dinner should be ready soon!” He grabbed his friend’s hand once more and dragged him off the bed and out the colorful room. Shinsou was again stunned with how colorful this household was, and how different this house was from the ones he was used to seeing. There wasn’t a bland wall in sight, each wall covered in old childhood drawings that were framed, as well as childhood photographs of baby Izuku. 

In the kitchen they found the two adults huddled by the stove, speaking in low voices. Shinsou was immediately on the alert, only used to seeing adults like this when they were deciding on what to do with him. Izuku stepped forward, still holding on to him, when he asked, “Hey Mom? Can Shinsou stay over after dinner?”

“Oh Izuku! Glad you’re here, dinner is almost ready! To answer your question, yes, he can stay the night. Does he need his clothes washed?” She asked and Izuku looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, silently asking him what he wanted. Slowly, he nodded his head, as he didn’t pack extra clothes for this spontaneous sleep over. Inko smiled brightly at him. 

“Alright! How about you get changed, Izuku you have some extra clothes you friend can borrow?” Izuku nodded quickly before she turned her attention back to the shy boy before her. 

“If you want to shower, just leave your clothes outside the door. I’ll take care of it and leave it outside Izuku’s room later tonight. I had to do a load of laundry anyway.” She said, then turned towards the lanky, blond man. 

“Can you get the bowls? I need to dish up dinner if we want to eat tonight.”

“Why of course! I’m always happy to assist!” The man quickly responded, and with agility that he had not right having, quickly moved around the plump woman to grab four bowls to dish up the meal.

After dinner, Toshinori asked to see how the two completed a soul resonance. Izuku smiled, but something about it was forced, causing Shinsou to frown. He was under the assumption that their soul resonance was borderline perfect, especially with all the care Izuku put into it. 

But Shinsou agreed on his behalf, only after they finished such lovely cooking. Inko smiled brightly at him and rested her cheek against her hand.

“You truly are a sweetie! You two hurry up, Izuku I know how you like to blow off some steam before bedtime. I’ll clean up tonight, and Shinsou don’t forget about my offer to wash your clothes.” She said, standing with a gentle look on her face. Toshinori reached out and touched her hand, and the two exchanged a silent conversation.  
Izuku also stood and stretched widely. His smile feeling off, though the weapon didn’t know why.

“Alright, Mr. Toshinori we’ll be waiting for you outside at the normal place!” He said and grabbed Shinsou’s hand once more and left the kitchen via the backdoor past the two adults. He quickly called out a thank you for the meal before he was out the door. He stumbled to keep up with Izuku’s pace, it felt like he was running at one point.  
Finally, they were standing under a large oak tree, Shinsou catching his breath from the brisk half-run. The meister smiled at the boy, finally releasing his hand.

“Sorry about that, I forget how fast I can walk sometimes, and I guess I’m just excited that you’re staying over? I’ve had a lot of energy all day today.” He said and Shinsou shrugged.

“I get it, you’re probably worked up by the behavior from Bakugou. I would be too if I were in your shoes.” Izuku goes still, and Shinsou sighs. 

“Izuku, you may be able to hide how those words affect you around the others, but you can’t fool me. I’m literally the closest person to your soul.” Shinsou said, and Izuku groaned loudly, and sank to the ground. Frowning, the weapon slowly joined him, confused by the defeated look his meister was sporting.

“You’re right. I just…! I grew up with him, you know. I used to idolize him; Kacchan was my vision of the perfect weapon, truly worthy of being a death scythe. But… people change, and Kacchan changed into a different person. Sometimes… I dunno, I guess I have this hope that the Kacchan I knew will come back.” Izuku slowly shook his head, his smile becoming more bitter as he spoke. Shinsou didn’t know how to feel, but the anger that surged within him was a surprise. 

“You can’t change everyone, plus he’s just dumb if he can’t see how great you are.” He said, causing Izuku to whip his head towards the other in surprise. He let out a soft laugh, and Shinsou joined him, happy to have lightened the mood somehow. 

“Thanks, Shinsou, you’re the best.”

“Nah, I’m just a decent human being.” 

“Hmm, that could be true. But I would like to think that you’re also the best.”

“You sure are singing my praises, Izuku, but maybe hold off after this ‘show off’ for Toshinori. I have a feeling like I’m about to be harshly judged.” Shinsou said, groaning when a head of blond hair popped out of the kitchen door and made its way towards them. 

Izuku laughed again, only this time it sounded different. 

“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve been training with him for years. We’re both going to be judged harshly. Probably critiqued too, and given some advice that we didn’t ask for, that will probably sound like he’s talking down to us.” Izuku said, sounding tired but fond. The weapon swallowed hard. 

“Great.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!”

“Isn’t that my job?”

“I don’t see how it can’t be mine as well.”

The two exchanged a look when the adult finally joined them.

“Ah! Hello Young Izuku! Young Shinsou! Are you prepared to show me what you’ve got?” He asked, his voice sounded pleasant, but Izuku tensed. Shinsou cocked his head, clearly confused. 

“Really, Mr. Toshinori? On his first night? You’re really not gonna hold back?” Izuku asked, and he sounded like he was pleading with the older man, who just laughed at his student’s despair. 

“Now Young Izuku, I’ll be fair tonight and give you both a head start. How does that sound for fair? It’ll be 30 seconds.” He said, and Izuku grabbed Shinsou and ran. 

“Shinsou! Weapon form!” Izuku said, his voice sounding alarmed. Quickly, Shinsou transformed, happy to no longer be running. However as soon as he was in Izuku’s hands, there was an unfamiliar soul wavelength running against him. He let out a startled noise and recoiled. It made his skin prickle and looking closely he saw he had micro cuts against his arms. 

“Shinsou!”

“I’m fine! What the hell was that?!” Shinsou said, trying to keep his voice leveled. Standing in front of them was the adult, and Shinsou wondered how the hell did the older man get there so fast?! The older man chuckled deeply, and Shinsou froze with the power he displayed. This was a meister without a weapon, and Shinsou couldn’t help but be terrified. Izuku only grunted, his own soul wavelength running across his weapon’s. Shinsou steeled himself, ready for another attack.  
Izuku stood his ground for a few more seconds, and tightened his hold on Shinsou, signaling that he was going to charge. 

But Toshinori was more agile than Shinsou was prepared for, which frustrated him. Izuku’s soul wavelength calmed him, but only so. Every missed stab felt like a personal failure, even though it was Izuku making the movement. Every cut the blond man avoided annoyed Shinsou and made him feel useless. His biggest advantage was that it only took a small cut to bring down a target, but he couldn’t do anything until that cut was made. 

He also couldn’t help but feel the occasional prickling of a foreign soul wavelength that kept brushing against him. It was what was causing him to grow more agitated, when another micro cut appeared across his cheek. Hissing, he reached out for Izuku’s soul to begin their soul resonance and felt Izuku’s soul accept him. Kicking back away from his teacher, Izuku crouched as he concentrated on the soul resonance. 

“LET’S GO, SOUL RESONANCE!”

They two allowed the energy between their souls to bounce back and forth, building up the energy needed for Shinsou to transform into his version of Witch Hunter—a longer, thinner blade with a larger range. Izuku was screaming as he charged, his energy seeming to spark off him, and suddenly Shinsou was overwhelmed with strange new energy, so much that it was becoming overbearing. 

“I-IZUKU!” His voice was frantic, but his meister didn’t seem to hear him, and continued his blind charge. He felt his form warp, and knew that if he didn’t realize this energy, they both had the potential of getting seriously injured.  
Without thinking his actions through, Shinsou released the built-up energy in a beam of startling black light, which Toshinori barely dodged. He continued to release the energy, though it was starting to burn him. He felt like he was being consumed from the inside out, the strange black light continuing to follow the blond man, who was continuing to dodge. 

Suddenly, the built-up energy disappeared, and he felt himself tumble out of Izuku’s fingers. He quickly shifted back into his human form, overwhelmed and alarmed, and turned towards his meister. Said meister was staring at him, tears in his eyes.

“O-oh my…. Shinsou I am so sorry! I’m so sorry! Are you alright!? Where are you hurt?” He asked, his voice becoming more frantic as he took in the sight of his weapon. 

His purple hair looked singed, as well as his left cheek. HIs right one had an ugly cut, matching the cuts across his arms. Izuku began to wonder if he was hurt anywhere else that he couldn’t see. He felt sick—he was responsible for injuring his weapon. He looked so afraid when he returned to his human form and Izuku had done that. 

He felt strong hands grab his face, pulling him roughly out of his thoughts. Blinking back his tears, the meister saw Shinsou looking over him in concern. His lip was also split, but the blood seemed to stay below the surface. The weapon’s eyes searched his own, and Izuku was able to calm his breathing. 

“Hey, hey I’m alright. Look at me, I’m still standing, right? Plus, you really think some training injury is going to stop me? Highly unlikely, I’m your weapon after all. I’m fine.” He said, and there was a teasing note in that last statement, causing Izuku to let out a startled, watery laugh. 

“Yeah, and I’m your dumbass meister.” He said, and pulled Shinsou into a tight hug, which the boy returned just as fiercely. They stayed there, on the training grounds as the adult took in the situation. He had been worried that this would be an issue, but there wasn’t a polite way to ask Izuku in the presence of his new weapon. Coughing loudly, Toshinori gained the attention of the two boys still sitting on the ground and made his way over to them. 

“I think that that’s enough training for one day. Well done, both of you!” He said, grinning at them, and the two responded with their own weak smiles. The adult clapped his hands together, and then extended them to the boys, who took a hand each and pulled themselves up. 

“I think now would be the perfect time to take that shower.” Shinsou said and groaned when he rolled his shoulders. Izuku laughed weakly and nodded, and then smelled his own pits. 

“Oh gross, I smell so bad! Okay, since you’re the guest, you get first dibs.” Izuku said, and Shinsou nodded thankfully. 

“Oh! But before we go to bed, let me look over your injuries. I want to help clean them up; it’ll make me feel better if I do.” Izuku said, cutting off the other boy when he began to protest. Sighing loudly, he only nodded and trudged back inside. 

The two remaining people stood in silence, watching the boy stumble back into the house, and with the soft shut of the door the two turned towards each other. 

“Young Izuku, I knew you were holding back until he started to become overwhelmed. Have you talked about the possibility of your soul wavelength becoming too overwhelming for your weapon during battle?” Toshinori asked, and Izuku looked down at his feet. 

“I haven’t had the chance yet… so far, I’ve been able to hold back! You trained me to be able to hold back, but I really dunno what happened today! I feel awful… All Might what do I do?” He asked, and the former number one meister sighed. 

“This is a conversation that needs to happen between you and your weapon. He deserves an explanation, maybe not tonight, but soon, Young Izuku.” All Might said, and his student sighed once more. The silence stretched between them until Izuku sadly nodded. 

“Alright, I’m gonna go make sure he’s okay... Thanks for talking to me, All Might. Have a good night.” The tired young boy said to his teacher, and then quickly made his way into the house. All Might stood there, watching as his student’s back remained tense until it disappeared behind the door. 

Alone with his thoughts, Toshinori sighed and made his own slow walk back to the house. He knew that there was no way for Inko to not have felt Izuku’s slip of control, and he was proven right when he reentered the house.

Inko was sitting at the dinner table, a warm mug of tea cradled between her hands. She looked calm, but Toshinori knew better. He sighed internally and took a seat next to her, examining her face. They simply sat in silence, listening to the two boys move around and get ready for bed. When the movement quieted, Inko turned towards Toshinori with such a serious expression, the man almost flinched. 

“He lost control again, didn’t he?” She asked, although her tone of voice suggested it was more of a statement. 

“He did, and his weapon suffered the consequences.” Toshinori said and brought his hands to cradle his head. They waited a few more moments for the house fell silent, the boys finally settled. Then Inko shifted, her eyes focused intently on her mugs.

“Mitsuki called. Apparently Izuku hasn’t talked to Katsuki since middle school. We had thought…” she took a breath before continuing, “we had thought that the two would be suitable partners because of their souls. I don’t understand why Izuku wouldn’t try to partner with him, it’s what he’s been talking about for years…” she said, and she took a deep, steadying breath. The blond man allowed a moment before speaking. 

“I fear that Young Izuku would injure any weapon he handles if said weapon isn’t prepared to deal with his soul. I haven’t seen this Katsuki’s soul, so I cannot say that they would be better partners. However, I fear for the safety of Young Shinsou and his ability of handling Young Izuku’s soul.” Toshinori paused, and saw Inko biting her lip harshly, a steady stream of tears trailing down the sides of her face. He quickly got up and found the closet box of tissues, and gently placed it next to her stiff hands.  
She took another steadying breath before continuing. 

“I… I fear for him, my son. He’s so kind, he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. I know how badly this affects him… and yet I cannot help but feel fear, knowing that he has the same powerful soul his father has. I don’t want him to end up like him, and I know that he won’t, I just… sometimes, I can just see the resemblance, and it hurts me. I always feel like I’ve failed him, that I haven’t been able to protect him…! Toshinori! Please, help me protect my son!” She said, her tears becoming heavier as she turned fully towards the man. He gently took her in his arms and noticed she was trembling. 

“I swear to you, he is nothing like his father. He takes after you with his gentle heart. You have not failed him; his soul only needs a strong weapon to help conduct the energy produced during battle. He needs a suitable outlet, someone that can channel that power… I just don’t know of anyone who has a soul capable of doing such a feat.” He said, and the crying woman pulled him to her, crying into his shirt softly as he stroked her hair. 

They had discussed this topic before, when Toshinori had hung up the title All Might, known for creating the greatest death scythe in the world. Only for his death scythe to turn on him, become a kishin, and try to kill him. The thought caused his stomach to twitch at the memory, and he felt his whole stomach clench in response. He had nearly died that day, had it not been for the women in his arms. 

He owed her his life, and in that same vein he owned her child protection. While he may no longer be All Might, he was still Toshinori Yagi, and he was a man of his word. He softly kissed her forehead as she calmed, his own mind racing with possibilities. 

“I have an idea, it may help smooth some things over, but I cannot guarantee success. It depends solely on the shoulders of Young Izuku and Young Shinsou.” He said and pulled away far enough to dig for his phone. Finding it, he quickly unlocked it and found the contact he needed. Taking a deep breath, he quickly typed out a message. 

_Hey Shota, it’s been a while! I need to talk to you about potential students, when are you free tomorrow?_

The ex-meister stared at the message and holding his breath he hit send. Toshinori wasn’t that naive to believe Shota owed him an instant response, especially since he was the one texting at an indecent hour. Just as soon as he was about to lock his phone, an alert lit up his screen. Quickly, he read the message and smiled.

“Inko, everything will be alright. I believe you need rest, it’s late.” He said, and the women nodded, standing up and dumping her now cold tea in the sink. She let out a deep sigh and turned towards her lover with a sad smile.

“It is late. Let’s get ready for bed.” She said and extended her hand to him. He took it with gentle care and gave it a soft kiss. Together they walked out of the kitchen, turning off the light and heading towards their bedroom. While Inko was in the shower, Toshinori took one final glance at his phone before sending his reply.

_Of course, you need my help. I’m free at 12:00pm, come to my office so we can discuss this in private. Mic will be there, he misses you._

_Tell Mic I miss him too. I’ll see you both at noon tomorrow!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again so much for reading! I'm so glad that there are others out there who find this cross over as interesting as I do!


	3. wandering thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are some days that Inko Midoriya wonders how her life became this hectic. If she were a lesser person, she could easily blame everything on Yagi Toshinori. But she couldn’t hold a grudge on a man who had done everything he could just to help her.

There are some days that Inko Midoriya wonders how her life became this hectic. If she were a lesser person, she could easily blame everything on Yagi Toshinori. But she couldn’t hold a grudge on a man who had done everything he could just to help her.

She remembered meeting him for the first time; they were both meisters and had briefly met during their Choosing day. That was also the day she had briefly met the man who would single-handedly turn her world upside-down.

Hisashi Midoriya, a weapon with the drive to be the best, and the one that she had stolen her heart. 

While their meeting was a brief one, it was intense. Inko found herself intrigued by his passion. Just like Toshinori, she too was taken in by his charm. When school started and Inko found she was in the same class as Toshinori, she couldn’t help but feel relieved to see a semi-familiar face. During lunch, the two meisters and their weapons would meet up to discuss daily drama, their favorite topic being who is the principal of UA.

Back then, everything felt carefree and light, their biggest stress was to finish high school. The young meisters were getting used to the idea of being battlefield ready meisters, ready to take on anything that threatened the peace. Their weapons were preparing themselves to be there for their meisters, no matter what. It wasn’t always the easiest, and sometimes the stress would build up after botched missions, but if they all had the same goal: if what they did could bring some semblance of peace into the world, it was their duty to do so. That’s what they were training for, after all—ridding the world of evil.

There was only one rule weapons must follow: they could eat the souls of demons and witches, but they must never eat the souls of other weapons or meisters. If they do, they will become a kishin: an evil weapon corrupted and power hungry that causes nothing but pain and destruction. They were also known to be possessive, especially of souls they found appealing. They were the worst kind of monster, and a weapon was taught at a very early age to never become one.

Toshinori was the first one who noticed the changes.

There were times all four of them would be eating lunch, and Sakura, Inko’s weapon partner, would usually sit next to her meister. One day, Hisashi quickly claimed the spot next to Inko, shooting the other weapon a smirk of triumph. While Inko made a joke about changing up the seating order, Sakura couldn’t help but feel upset by the other weapon’s actions. Toshinori had written it off as a onetime occurrence, but an uneasy feeling had taken hold of his gut at the sight of Hisashi curling an arm around Inko’s shoulders.

Quickly shaking his head, the other meister pushed down the unsettled feeling and instead observed the two. He immediately took note of the blush Inko was sporting, and how openly Hisashi laughed at her jokes. Even if Sakura and Toshinori felt uncomfortable, there was no doubting that young love was blooming. The pattern continued; no matter where the group was, Hisashi wanted to remain by Inko’s side and would often push her weapon partner out of his way. 

Sakura tried to laugh it off, but something felt… off about the other weapon.

The redhead had noticed more times than not that Inko seemed to fall easily into his space, resting her head comfortably on the other weapon’s shoulder. She would easily reach out to straighten his bedhead or straighten the other’s tie. In response, he would remove something from her hair, or rest his elbow on top of her head. For the record, the weapon understood that there wasn’t a need to be worried; Inko was her best friend and wasn’t looking to replace her.

But then certain activities the two partners used to do suddenly had Hisashi added, like walking Inko home or their study sessions suddenly had a third. The yellow-eyed weapon had bit her tongue on the intrusions, because it made her meister happy, but the looks the other weapon was sending made her blood boil.

The weapon had decided she had had enough with the behavior, and that after school, while Hisashi and Inko walked home together, Sakura would ask if Hisashi’s meister had noticed any odd behavior on his side.

“TOSHI!”

Sakura called out to him, seeing the usually upbeat blond slowly make his way to the train station. He turned his head stiffly towards her with a raised brow, confusion clearly written all over his face. Sakura sent him a beaming smile, and he responded with a hesitant one. 

“Glad I caught you! Care to walk with me to the train station?” The weapon asked the meister, who slowly nodded and waited for her to catch up. Sakura knew right away that something was bothering her friend, but she wasn’t sure how to exactly address it. As they walked to the train station in silence, the redhead decided that enough was enough.

“Hey, Toshi?” Sakura asked, causing Toshi to hum in response. When he didn’t receive a response, the meister turned toward the weapon and noticed the unusual hesitance. 

“What is it?” He asked his friend and noticed that the other had stopped walking. She cleared her throat and looked back at him, her eyes shiny and her teeth began working on her bottom lip.

“Well… okay, there’s not really a good way to address this so here I go.” Sakura said, the glossiness not leaving her eyes but the spark that Toshinori hadn’t realized was missing had returned.

“I know you’re not stupid, and I know that you’ve had to notice the weird tension between Hisashi and Inko. Do you… think they’ll partner up...? You know, with each other...?” The weapon asked, and Toshinori felt his blood run cold.

He was worried, sure, but did he think his weapon would try to leave him? The pair had bonded and seen into each other’s souls and had worked with each other through some of the toughest missions. They knew each other inside and out, and the same had to be said for Inko and Sakura. The thought that Hisashi didn’t view their partnership the same as Toshinori made the meister feel sick to his stomach.

“No. Now I know Inko, and she would never abandon your partnership. You know how loyal she is, and she doesn’t know how to lie to save her life, we’ve all witnessed it,” he said, and the weapon let out a startled laugh, “she’s too honest, and she would never do anything to hurt a friend. And I think I know where the weird tension is coming from; Hisashi likes Inko, but he doesn’t know how to express it.”

“Wait, you mean he LIKES like Inko?”

“Well yeah! Do you see how he always wants to walk her home, plus he’s been stealing your seat often?”

“That’s true… okay, I’ll trust you just this once, Toshi. But you should let me know if you notice anything change on your side. He’s your partner, and he’s a lucky weapon to have you as a partner.” Sakura said, and she gently bumped his shoulder with his, causing the meister to smile and nod. He bumped her back, causing the tension from earlier to fade away with their laughter.

Things seemed to get better for the group, especially after the two had announced that they were dating. Sakura felt some relief, knowing that Toshinori had been right and that there was nothing to worry about. Hisashi even apologized to her about his behavior, and the other weapon was just glad that nobody seemed to be in competition with her to be Inko’s weapon partner.

Toshinori was relieved as well, but his weapon still felt distant from him. He wanted to train more and pushed them to be better. Whenever their soul resonance it worked, Toshinori was relieved, but the uneasy feeling from before had only grown. The meister knew that Sakura had given him an opening to discuss his concerns, but he blamed the feelings on the stress of school and influx of missions he had been receiving as of late.

As the years went on the new drive from Hisashi became more obvious; he wanted to become the very best death scythe as soon as possible. It was every meister’s dream to create a death scythe, so Toshinori only encouraged him.

However, it was a few months into their senior year that Inko and Hisashi made the announcement that put everyone on edge: Inko was pregnant and had decided on keeping the baby.  
Her friends, while concerned about her health and the suddenness of the pregnancy, congratulated her. Sakura was already planning the baby shower and gushing over being the baby’s aunt. Hisashi nudged Toshinori and stated that if Sakura is to be the aunt, then Toshinori would obviously become the child’s favorite uncle.

It was strange, but nice to have this small group of friends become a family for the baby on the way. But the happy feelings soon turned into weary ones, as Inko entered her first month of pregnancy.

Hisashi kept rubbing her belly, muttering things like “my perfect creation”, and he would kiss Inko and tell her that he was so lucky to have created such a creature with her. That their souls had created something perfect together. 

While some found her actions charming, Inko found herself put on edge. She was happy her soon-to-be was excited to become a father, but the meister was unnerved at the dedication he had taken to their unborn child.

For example, if she and Sakura wanted to spend time together, Hisashi demanded that he be present, “just in case”. He used to allow the girls their private time, but ever since the pregnancy her fiancé had demanded to know where she always was.

Sakura was getting annoyed at the behavior, and the two weapons’ relationship became so strained it often took both Toshinori and Inko to calm their respective weapons down. In a desperate act to make herself feel saner, she texted Toshinori to meet her before class started.

He found the meister out in the hallway, standing a few feet away from their classroom. She looked worse for wear and was currently wiping her face with a tissue. Cautiously, Toshinori approached her, and noticed the heavy bags under her eyes.

“Inko…? Hey, are you alright?” Toshinori asked, and she slowly shook her head.

“Toshi, please answer me honestly. You’re my friend, and more importantly you’re Hisashi’s partner. I… I need to confirm a few things, but I don’t want to seem crazy… oh gosh you don’t even know what I need to ask and you’re probably so confused…” Inko began muttering to herself, and slowly slid down to the floor. The other meister quickly followed her, seeing that she began biting her nails. He’d only seen her do this during exam season, and the action had him worried.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re my friend, and a good one at that. I wouldn’t think you’re crazy.” He smiled, and she gave him a watery one in return.

“Thank you, Toshi, I just… am I crazy? Is Hisashi becoming more… possessive? Because he doesn’t like it when I leave his sight, and he’s obsessed with the baby—MY BABY! And he’s gotten super aggressive towards Sakura, who’s my partner and someone that I trust?! He won’t let her in our apartment, Toshi! I just…! I don’t know what to do!” Inko clutched her stomach, tears falling freely from her eyes.

Toshinori knew that uneasy feeling he had tried to squish down had only grown, and it now seemed to grip his heart. He slowly opened his arms to her, a slight offer of comfort. She flung herself into them and cried openly into his shirt, Toshinori rubbing her back and keeping an eye out for potential on-lookers. Inko Midoriya was known as a kind yet fierce woman, and Toshinori didn’t want strangers to see her at her lowest. 

After she had been able to calm her breathing, Toshinori pulled the two of them up, arms still around his friend, and looked around once more for a private location. There was something telling him that Inko hadn't quite finished talking to him. 

“Is there a bathroom close by?” Her only response was a nod and the two stood up if a bit shakily.

The conversation was hard, but necessary. Toshi didn’t like to see his partner in a negative light, but he would feel worse had he allowed the situation to get worse. Dread pooled in his stomach, guilt weighing it down as images of possible “what-if” seniors flooded his imagination. No matter how it made him feel about his weapon partner, Toshinori knew that the situation was greater than that, especially since it wasn’t getting better.

“Inko, thank you so much for telling me about this. I think we need to separate the two of you, it might help calm things down. If you want, I can talk to a friend of mine, he seems to have endless contacts for people who might be able to help.” Toshinori offered his friend, who had finally gained control of her breathing and was washing her face. They had locked the bathroom door to insure privacy, and Inko had taken the time to compose herself. 

“I would appreciate that if you don’t think it would be weird? I don’t want to drag more people in than necessary, after all this is my problem.” The woman said, not looking at her friend while she fixed her hair. Toshinori shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. 

“No, I doubt he would mind. He’s a good guy who hates seeing injustice, plus the way he’s able to organize people is impressive. I swear he has some sort of superpower.” Inko snorted and Toshinori laughed at the sound, happy to see his friend in better spirits. 

“Alright, what’s the number?”

After leaving the bathroom, the two came up with a simple plan: divide and conquer. Toshinori would distract and persuade Hisashi to sit at the lunch table before Inko and Sakura arrived, giving Inko a chance to talk to Sakura in private. They would arrive later after gathering their things and would observe the other weapon’s behavior at her tardiness. 

With the plan in motion, the meisters split up and successfully separated Inko from Hisashi, even if it was just a few minutes. Hisashi grew more agitated the longer it took for Inko to arrive, and after the first five minutes had stopped listening to Toshinori completely. When the other pair finally arrived with their lunches. Hisashi narrowed his eyes, he was grinding his teeth and small tendrils of smoke were leaving his mouth. Toshinori could have sworn for a moment that his eyes seemed to glow green, but he blinked, and they were back to their regular emerald green. 

Said man purposefully stood from the table, and something about the movement changed the atmosphere around him. It was like he was commanding everyone’s attention just by existing, and it was clearly effective.

“Inko, I think that there’s something we need to address.”

The woman blinked, just as uncertain as the others present.

“Uh, alright? What is it?”

“It’s how I should be your weapon partner. And how I’m not.”

Silence met that statement, weapon and meisters alike baffled and confused by the sudden declaration. Inko’s face started to turn pink, her hands wrapped around her partner’s arm, her knuckles whitening.

“I—what?” Her response was confusion laced with anger, but it seemed that Hisashi ignored the latter.

“Oh sweetheart, I know that you love Sakura, and she is a great weapon! I have no doubt of her abilities since you’ve chosen her as your partner. But you have me now, and I’m sure Toshi understands. We were meant to be, you and me. Don’t you see?” He said, stepping closer to the two women.

“I can feel it in our child; our souls created something so beautiful. Think of what else we could do together.”

No one was breathing. The implications were too large to say something after Hisashi declared his intentions. Inko had her mouth opened, her eyes wide and swelling with tears. She tightened her hold on her weapon, as if to say, “you’re not going anywhere without me”.

Her weapon was now grabbing onto her hands, as if to hold her there. Her yellow eyes were narrowed, a snarl across her face as if to bare her nonexistent fangs. But with the aggression was a small mixture of fear, something that Toshinori could understand. He was frozen to his spot, unable to fully comprehend his own weapon’s words. 

For the past few years, he and his weapon had been making steady progress towards their goal of creating Hisashi into a death scythe. His soul had become more powerful by the day, not that it wasn’t impressive before. Toshinori felt fear coil in his lungs, making it hard to breathe. What made his fear intensify was the knowledge that Hisashi wasn’t currently displaying his powerful soul, and he knew what would come next if this situation didn’t resolve itself.

It was foolish to think it would.

“I… appreciate where you’re coming from Hisa, but I have chosen Sakura to be my weapon. We’ve been partners for years, and I know that I’m dating you and while I want to marry you, Sakura is my weapon and I am her meister. Please respect that.” Inko said, her voice steady yet the sharpness was clear.

Hisashi narrowed his eyes and gave her a slow nod. He turned sharply on his heel, grabbed his backpack, and left. The atmosphere was still tense, and the two girls were still holding each other tightly when Inko let out a shaky breath. Toshinori stood awkwardly, not wanting to leave his friends but not exactly sure how to help. He wanted to help his friends because what Hisashi said… what he implied was horrible. Sakura was a perfect weapon for Inko, and Toshinori had thought he was the perfect meister for Hisashi.

He saw now how wrong he had been.

Carefully, as the blond wasn’t sure if he was wanted, Toshinori made his way over to his crying friends. Sakura was holding Inko in a crushing hug, crying into her hair as her meister sobbed into her shirt. He sat next to them and awkwardly began patting their backs, not sure if the gesture was appreciated. Inko shifted while Sakura opened one of her arms, pulling Toshinori into the hug.

“Oh Toshi… I’m so sorry.” Inko said, reaching out towards her friend.

“I... huh? Inko, I should be apologizing. I should have seen this behavior coming, I should have talked to Hisashi sooner, I should have-”

“Toshi.” Even though Sakura had been crying, her voice came out smooth and controlled.

“I know how hard it is to hear that the partner you’ve had for years suddenly doesn’t want you anymore. I know how it hurts. I’m sorry you had to hear it.”

And just like that Toshinori felt the dam burst, tears swelling in his eyes as he finally let go. The three of them stayed there well after their lunch period, crying, and holding onto each other, the months of stress finally catching up to them. If anyone saw them, they didn’t comment, nor did they inform any faculty.

In fact, nobody came to make sure that they were alright, as the three waited for a loss yet to come.

It was Inko who had calmed down first. She felt lightheaded as she finally regained control of her breathing. She had Toshi on one shoulder and Sakura was resting her chin on top of her head. Had it been any other situation, Inko would have found it relaxing. But the tension in her shoulders reminded her of the situation at hand.

“I don’t want to lose you.” Sakura whispered, causing Inko to take a sharp breath.

“You won’t. I refuse to partner with him. I have a wonderful partner already and have no need to change.”

A wet laugh was her response, and Toshinori remained quiet. The other meister could only imagine how hard he must be taking this. She moved her shoulder he was laying on, causing him to look up at her.

“Listen here, mister. If that weapon cannot see a great meister when he meets one, then he’s a fool. Because I know how strong you are, Toshi, it’s a shame that Hisashi can’t.”  
Toshi let out a guttural sound, and quickly buried his face in his hands. It was quiet for a while, the three too exhausted to cry anymore. It was only a matter of how to proceed.

“Inko, you said that you moved in with Hisashi, yes? Would you like to come and stay with me? I have the room, plus I live by myself, so you wouldn’t be bothering anyone.” Sakura asked, which Inko quickly nodded.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I think that would be for the best.”

Toshi cleared his throat, looking at the two with a sad smile.

“Then, I think now would be a good time to move your things out, right? School’s still in session, and we’re all beyond late to class now. Might as well get you settled.” He said, and both girls smiled at him.

“Of course, if you wanted you can come stay the night, Toshi, since it’s been such a tiring day and all. Plus, after all this crying I know I need some serious self-care.” Sakura said, and she slowly released her two friends to stand, cracking her back in the process.

Inko got on wobbly feet, Sakura helping her and Toshi after they had sat for so long. Toshi groaned and shook out his legs.

“Man, my back is going to feel that tomorrow.” He said with a sigh, causing Inko to laugh and nod in agreement.

The trio then made their way to the train station, trying to keep their conversation light as they planned what should be taken and what shouldn’t be.

The next day brought an angrier Hisashi, who had crashed into their class to demand where Inko was last night. She remained silent but rigid, and Toshinori placed a comforting hand on her, offering her a strained smile. Her fiancé had been dragged out of class by the instructor, and the last they heard of him was that he was expelled for violent behavior. Apparently, someone had alerted the professors of his violent nature and his possessiveness towards Inko. Toshinori felt guilty for the relief that washed over him, but he reassured himself that if Inko was safe, everything was fine.

But of course, not everything was fine.

A week after the explosion, Sakura went missing. The three friends had taken to spending the night at her place, but she hadn’t turned up after school, saying that she had some extra homework to complete in the library. Toshi and Inko had reported her missing after the second day, both explaining how this behavior was unlike their friend. The police had made missing person flyers and began their search for her, and Inko had taken up the habit of stress eating to cope.

It was the next day when they found her body, half dangling out of a dumpster near school grounds. Her skull bashed in from what looked like an attack from the front. Not only that, but they found a sizable burn that covered her back, the skin bubbled and charred in certain areas. Her shirt had hung limply off her form, the remains burnt and fraying from the intensity of the heat. The coward took her out before she had the chance to defend herself, then finished the job with a blow to the head.

Sakura must have seen the face of her attacker, Toshinori thought numbly as Inko clung to his arm. Identifying the body had been hard for them both, more so for Inko than Toshinori.  
It wasn’t every day that you had to identify a body, but it was worse when it was your partner. 

When they were on the train, heading towards Sakura’s apartment, Toshinori began to silently cry, and Inko took his hand without saying a word.

A few more months had passed, and the death of her weapon still haunted Inko. Toshinori could tell in the way she would look next to her, as if she had something to share. Or the sad way she’d smile when she was thinking of her, memories of her dear friend now turned bittersweet. Toshinori had no idea how he could help, so he stood by her through it all, and helped her move into a new apartment.

The process of packing up Sakura’s apartment was enough motivation to find a new residence.

But with those passing months came another form of healing, and the presence of Hisashi was finally leaving Inko. She didn’t flinch from Toshinori as much, and she was quick to give him hugs when she deemed that he needed them. It was embarrassing to admit how the other meister relied on that form of comfort from his dear friend.

Which may be why he wasn’t expecting an attack.

It was after school, Inko said that she would need to go grocery shopping and would meet Toshinori at home. He had taken to sleeping over as it felt odd going back to his original residence. It was due to his reflexes that allowed him to dodge the stream of fire targeted to his back. Quickly turning around, he saw the furious face of his old weapon.

“Hisashi, what are you doing?!” Toshinori asked, his voice shaking. Seeing the fire attack reminded him of the fate of his old friend, and rage replaced fear.

“What have you done?” The meister asked, reaching for his own soul’s wavelength. While his weapon was powerful, the meister had helped him achieve that power, and felt capable enough to fend off his attacker until help arrived. 

If help were to arrive. 

Hisashi had him cornered in a secluded place; a back alleyway used as a shortcut to Inko’s new apartment. Icy fear grew in the meister’s stomach and spread throughout his bout at the thought of Inko’s safety. Did Hisashi know where she was living, and if so, how long had he known?

“Toshi, I’m surprised. Such a worried face to greet an old friend. I thought better of you.” Hisashi said, as if he hadn’t tried to sear off his back just moments before. Toshinori raised an eyebrow in response and shifted into a defensive position.

“If you call attempting to burn your old partner alive as a pleasant greeting, then I think we should revisit proper manners, Hisashi.” Toshinori responded, continuing the dialogue his old partner had started. Said partner chuckled and stepped closer, the perfect image of relaxed.

“How else was I supposed to get your attention?”

“I can think of a few, less deadly ways.”

Hisashi laughed, but the sound had changed. Before all of this, it was light, cheerful, and infectious. Now it caused goosebumps to raise across the meister’s skin and sweat to freeze on his brow. It was as if the sound alone held malicious intention. Toshinori found himself unable to utter a word as he watched his old partner come closer, the laughter still trickling out between barely parted lips. As he drew nearer the defensive meister noticed how sharp his teeth had gotten, as well has the coloring of his eyes. They used to be green, like Inko’s, a nice emerald color. Now they seemed to glow a bright green neon, which unnerved Toshinori.

“What have you been up to, Hisashi? What’s happened to you?” He asked, which caused the other to pause in his advancement. He seemed to consider the question before answering, holding his chin with a thumb and pointer finger.

“You know, I had a goal once: to become the best death scythe, one of the most powerful weapons that would be wielded by Lord Death himself. An admirable goal, of course, and it was supported by many. When I became your partner, I knew that you could help me achieve my goal, I mean. With our souls combined, we were unstoppable.” He paused, as if caught up in a memory, allowing a fond smile to grace his features. Toshinori remained quiet, merely observing the weapon with suspicion.

“But then,” the weapon continued, his smile growing wider, “I met her. Oh, Toshi, Inko is so lovely. Her soul called out to me, and who was I to refuse such a lovely soul. So nurturing, kindness seems to radiate off her. I knew that I had to have her. I knew that if I did, she too could help me with my goal. But Toshi,” he stopped, his glowing eyes settling on the meister’s in front of him, “I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. Her soul eagerly welcomed my own, and together we made such a brilliant creation. A perfect combination of our two souls, into one perfect being. I was so excited.” Another pause, then his features hardened in disgust.

“Until that stupid weapon of hers had to get in the way. Until she refused to become my partner, my meister. No matter, the nuisance of a weapon is no longer around, and I believe I’ve waited long enough to ask her once more. I’m certain now she’ll accept my offer, as she would be foolish not to.” He said, his face becoming more relaxed with the thought of partnering with Inko. Toshinori felt himself choke back bile, the image of Sakura rising to the forefront of his mind.

“You… killed Sakura, didn’t you?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Hisashi merely smirked at him, confirming his thoughts. Toshinori felt himself swallow down more bile, his stomach churning at the newfound knowledge. But he refused to look weak in front of his potential murder. 

“Are you here to kill me?” He asked, keeping his eyes on the man in front of him and his voice light. Said man paused, looking over Toshinori as if examining him for the first time. His eyes narrowed, honing onto the meister’s chest, as if finding something distasteful there.

“If you get in my way, I’ll have no choice. I would hate to kill the one who got me this far, but if you stand in my way, I won’t hesitate to bring you down.” He said with a voice cold as ice. Toshinori sighed and straightened his back.

“I would rather not fight you, as you are an old, dear friend of mine. But I owe it to Inko to stop you.” Hisashi snarled at him, baring his new, strange teeth at him.

“So be it.”

Inko was making her way home, her phone tucked between her shoulder and ear as she attempted to call Toshinori for the fourth time, only to reach his voicemail. She sighed and finally gave up, tucking her phone in her pocket. The meister had a feeling that something was not right as she walked towards her apartment.

Taking her usual route, she paused before she could reach the alleyway. She focused on her soul to see if she recognized who was fighting and froze when she saw the souls. Toshinori and Hisashi were fighting, in the alleyway that was only a block from her apartment. She was frozen to the spot, watching as the souls only seemed to grow in front of her, trying to overpower the other.

The meister quickly shook herself out of it and dialed the first people she could think of: Shota Aizawa. Toshinori had said the meister had connections and knew people who could help. Plus, he later told her that his soul wavelength had the ability to mute others, and that was something needed right now. Without thinking she quickly back peddled from the alleyway and called his number, her anxiety levels rising the longer she waited for the other to answer the phone. Finally, she heard a click, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Midoriya? What’s going on?” The meister asked, sounding as if he had been asleep.

“Aizawa, I’m so sorry to bother you. If it weren’t important, I wouldn’t have called, but I… Aizawa, my ex fiancé, he’s back and he’s hurting Toshi, bad. I can’t stop him.” She said, her breathing becoming more panicked. Images of Sakura flashed before her eyes, and she began to shake.

“Can you please help me?” She asked, and the line was quiet for a moment. Inko held her breath and waited, already making a list of people to call if Aizawa turned her down.

“Sorry for that, I needed to get ready. My partner and I are on our way, and I’ll call a few others that may be able to help. Can you send me your location?” He asked, and Inko let out a sob of relief and quickly agreed, sending her location. After the other meister confirmed he had the location, he reassured her that help was on the way.

She hung up and turned her attention back to the fight. She noticed immediately that Toshinori’s soul wavelength was wavering, which was odd and terrifying to see. She wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait. 

Her eyes were trained on the two souls; Hisashi’s seemed to keep growing which shouldn’t have been possible. It wasn’t long until help arrived, she convinced herself that Aizawa would quickly find the fight. 

True to his word, Aizawa and his partner, Hizashi Yamada, who was already in his weapon form--a sonic blaster resting on Aizawa’s shoulder--had quickly arrived. After checking in with Inko and assuring her that help was on the way, the new duo made their way to the alleyway to engage in the fight.

What they found was Toshinori, barely standing, his frame shaking as blood steady trickled from a head wound. He was holding his stomach, and his shirt looked burnt. The meister was still holding out and could not hold back the relief of seeing backup. The weapon slowly turned around to assess the new threats and frowned at the unusual weapon pointed at him. Aizawa clenched his jaw and noticed how they were being examined by the enemy.

“Ready?” He asked his weapon, as he subtly shifted to brace himself.

“Always, darling. Prepare yourself.” Yamada warned, before launching their first attack. Toshinori had seen Aizawa shift and had taken cover behind a nearby dumpster. Hisashi wasn’t as lucky and received the full assault of the attack.

Sound seemed to tear through him, his ears ringing as the sound waves hit him. He began to scream, unable to hold in the agony as the sound waves seemed to tear him from the inside out. He dropped to the ground, clutching his ears as the sound attack continued, his glowing eyes seemed to intensify as they glued themselves on the weapon meister duo. 

Suddenly, the attack stopped, and Hisashi stayed on the ground, catching his breath.

“Toshinori, you alright?” Aizawa called out and received a rough “yeah” in response. He nodded, and turned his focus on the enemy, who was currently glaring at him with such malice Aizawa almost took a step back. He frowned at the glowing eyes and the pointed teeth, taking note of that to examine later. 

“I suggest you wait to be arrested or risk more injury to yourself.” Aizawa said, his voice sounding bored to anyone who didn’t know him. Yamada stayed focused on the threat before them, unusually quiet. The injured weapon slowly got to his feet; blood splattered across his face. His nose was now bleeding from the force of the sound waves, and Aizawa braced himself for another sound attack. Those glowing green eyes never left his, and Aizawa was glad that his soul wavelength was enough to suppress the other’s powerful soul. But wasn’t confident he could hold him for much longer. 

“You… useless people. You don’t understand what I must do. You don’t understand the power of my creation! I have to do this, and you’re foolish if you think you can stop me!” His voice was rising in volume, taking on a manic tone as he raised his hands above his head. Aizawa was quick to respond, Yamada firing off a series of sonic blasts, disorientating the other weapon and causing him to fall to his knees once more.

“YOU FOOLS! YOU TRY TO STOP WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!”

The weapon screeched, his voice no longer sounding human. His mouth seemed to start smoking, and suddenly Aizawa was dodging an intense stream of fire. There was an inhuman screech, and the fire seemed to move close to Aizawa, who had backed out of the alleyway completely to take refuge around the corner. But the fire kept coming closer, and Hisashi broke free from the alleyway and launched himself into the sky. His fire boosted him from the ground, and he landed on top of the building across from the alley.

“YOU CANNOT STOP ME! I WILL NOT BE STOPPED! YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?! IT WILL NEVER BE OVER!”

He exclaimed, and then suddenly disappeared, like his body was made of smoke. Aizawa stood where he was, prepared for any potential oncoming attack. When none came, he relaxed and made his way back into the alleyway where the injured meister hadn’t attempted to leave.

“Toshinori? It’s me, don’t attack.” The other meister called out and received a weak laugh as a response. Yamada shifted back to his human form, and after a brief exchange with his meister went to call an ambulance. Aizawa made his way over to the dumpster that Toshinori had taken refuge behind. The sight that greeted him was not a pleasant one.

Toshinori was clutching his stomach, his hand shaking with the effort and covered in blood. His head was still bleeding, and his eyes were closed. But the steady rise and fall of his bloodied chest alerted Aizawa that the meister was still alive. He quickly applied pressure to the stomach wound, causing the injured man to groan.

“Yamada is calling an ambulance; think you can hold on till then?” He asked, and Toshinori let out another groan, blood spilling from his lips. But a slight nod of blond hair told the other meister all he needed to know.

They stood in silence, the cracking and popping of trash on fire the only thing that filled the silence. Finally, when the ambulance arrived, Aizawa quickly allowed the medics to take over. He stumbled towards the mouth of the alleyway, and found Yamada crouched next to a sobbing Inko. When she caught sight of Aizawa covered in blood, tears continued to fall freely down her face.

“Oh my—Aizawa! Please go see a medic! They haven’t left yet-”

“I’m alright. It isn’t mine.” The meister was quick to assure the other, causing the women to pause. She looked into the man’s-tired eyes, a question there that she dares not ask.

“He’s not dead, or he wasn’t when I was with him. But it wasn’t pretty, he was hurt pretty badly.” He said, and Yamada shot him a disapproving look. He looked away, not finding a reason to sugarcoat the issue, but he acknowledged that he’d failed to reassure the panicked meister. The three were silent for a while, before Inko broke the silence.

“Thank you… thank you for saving him. Without your intervention, I…” Inko took a deep breath, before continuing, “I would have been left alone. I’m so grateful to you both.” She said, and Yamada gave her a tight hug, which Inko quickly accepted. Aizawa awkwardly stood next to the two, knowing that Yamada was better at personal interactions than he ever would be. But the meister wasn’t heartless, and after a moment cleared his throat.

“We drove here, if you wanted a lift to the hospital.” He said, and Inko quickly took him up on his offer. The ride was filled with Yamada talking to Inko, asking her questions on what happened and if she was in any immediate danger. Aizawa kept quiet but listened carefully as Inko explained the situation. His breath hitched when he heard that the woman was pregnant with the deranged weapon’s baby. 

“But I won’t dare to punish the baby for his father’s actions. I want him to be so separated from his father, and only to be surrounded by love and affection. I know it won’t be easy, but I want my child to know that no matter what, he is my baby above all else. I chose to have this baby while I was with him, and my decision has not changed.” She said, and Aizawa wondered how anyone could be so strong to take on such a challenge, especially alone.

“Then you’re braver than most.” He said, causing Yamada to nod in agreement.

“Yeah! If you ever need help with the baby, please let us know! I may not look like it, but I had a whole lot of siblings, so I know how to help with babies! I can already tell that you’ll be a great mom!” Yamada said, and Inko gave him a weak smile.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

At the hospital, the trio learned that Toshinori would be alright, and that he was currently in surgery for his stomach and head injury. They were currently in need of a blood transfusion if they wanted a chance of success. Inko immediately asked what blood type they needed, and offered her own, O-. She was ushered away by nurses, leaving Yamada and Aizawa by themselves.

They sat in the waiting room in silence and waited for any type of news. Yamada began shifting after 20 minutes had paused, and Aizawa handed him his card, asking if he wouldn’t mind grabbing them something to eat, and to include Inko in the order. The weapon shot the meister a relieved smile before leaving the hospital, and Aizawa was left alone.

His mind was racing with images of the deranged weapon, who had the ability to not only breath fire, but also disappear without a trace. He also had enough firepower to launch himself in the air while his soul was being suppressed by Aizawa’s. His inhuman screech, the sharp teeth, and his glowing green eyes also caused him pause. The weapon could only sound and look like that if he had given up his humanity. It took consuming the souls of other weapons and meisters to reach the current level Hisashi had been. The meister’s eyes widened when the pieces formed an unsettling and horrifying picture.

Yagi Toshinori’s partner was turning himself into a Kishin.

That information alone was alarming, and he sent a quick text to Nemuri Kayama, a friend of his who was mentoring at their high school. She was one of the youngest weapons to become a death scythe, which she did all on her own. If he could trust anything with this information, it was her. While it wasn’t mandatory for death scythes to become teachers, it helped weapons see what their potential future would look like. 

The death scythe quickly texted back, asking for more information which Aizawa gladly gave. He promised to keep her updated as he learned more, and she thanked him. Before he could respond, Yamada had returned with three bags of food, and dumped one bag in his lap. He glared at his weapon, who shot him an innocent look.

“Thought you might be hungry.” He said, and Aizawa sighed, tucking his phone in his pocket, and nodded, closing his tired eyes.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Silence followed as the two ate, waiting for an update on the two people they’d helped. Finally, they were approached by a nurse, and informed that they could visit Inko, but Toshinori wouldn’t be accepting visitors at this time. He had made it through surgery with the help of the blood transfusion, but he was still being monitored. 

“If you would like, I can take you to see your other friend. She’s only resting and can take visitors at this time.”

The two nodded and followed the nurse to a private room where Inko was currently sipping a juice box. She gave them both a weak smile, and her eyes widened when Yamada presented her with the takeout bag, which she gratefully accepted.

“Do you know if you’ll be kept here overnight?” Yamada asked, sitting next to Inko while Aizawa took the seat closest to the door. Inko hummed then shook her head.

“I don’t think so, but I would like to see Toshi before I leave.” She said, and Yamada hummed and nodded, as he also wanted to see how the other meister was doing.

Aizawa sighed and got comfortable in his chair, knowing that this was going to be a long wait. Yamada began to ask Inko about the baby, and if she had thought of any names yet. She shook her head and admitted that she was so focused on graduating, she didn’t have time to focus on things like that. Aizawa shifted lower in his seat and closed his eyes. The tired meister knew that he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, so he focused instead on the conversation before him.

“I appreciate you getting me food, Yamada, that was so kind of you.” Inko said, and the meister could hear the grin his weapon gave her.

“Of course! I can only imagine after a rough day how yummy fast food can be.” He said, and Inko laughed. It was a tired sound, but it was genuine.

“Yeah, there’s just something about fast food that makes a crappy day somewhat better.” She said and took a large bite out of the burger Yamada got her. He agreed and happily began munching on his fries. 

More time had passed, and a nurse came back into the room, alerting them that Toshinori was awake, but would only be accepting one visitor at a time. 

“The visitor must not speak loudly, or they would be asked to leave. If that’s alright with you, I can take one person there now. I have to ask for the others to wait in the lobby.” The nurse said, and Inko quickly volunteered to go see him first. She had promised to report back to the two others. 

The nurse led Inko to Toshinori’s room, reminding her to keep her composer and to keep the lights off due to his severe concussion. Inko agreed quickly, eyes scanning for her friend’s potential room.

When they arrived, she saw Toshinori was asleep, and quietly pulled one of the chairs in the room closer to his bedside. He was stirring, as if he were trying to wake up, and Inko held her breath. She didn’t want to bother him in case he was still asleep, but he desperately wanted to talk to him. The injured meister groaned and kept his eyes, and Inko let out a soft, watery laugh.

“Thank Lord Death you’re alright.”

“I don’t feel alright.” He said, his voice raspy and dry. Inko shook her head fondly. 

“You’re alive, and by my standards that means you’re alright.”

Toshinori let out a weak laugh and slowly reached a handout towards his friend, who carefully took it in hers. Inko rubbed circled across his thumb, which helped calm him.

“Did he get away?” He asked, and the silence that followed as enough of an answer. He sighed and tightened his hold on Inko’s hand, causing her to pause.

“I promise, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I swear to you, I will become a meister without a weapon, and become powerful enough to protect you from him. You and your child.” He added, and felt tears hit his hand. He hated how much Inko had cried because of him, because of that awful man.

“I trust you, Toshi. Thank you.” Inko said, and a tired smile made its way on the injured meister’s lips. Before he could respond, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him, and soon he was back asleep. Inko stayed for a while longer before releasing his hand onto the bed and quietly left the room. 

The duo was waiting for her in the lobby and offered to drive her home. She accepted and quickly filled them in on their friend’s condition, and Yamada was happy to hear that this injury wasn’t going to slow down his friend. 

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but Inko I have some news for you.” Aizawa said, placing his phone back into his pocket. Inko had noticed he was on the phone when she’d come over and felt anxious and the news he might deliver. 

“I understand that today had been hectic and stressful, and I’m sorry your last week of high school ended this way. However, I wanted to let you know that there are trained meisters and weapon partners posted around your apartment complex, and at least one death scythe. They’ll be posted until you can find another place to stay. Is that alright?” Aizawa asked, and Inko nodded. 

“Thank you so much for your help. I’m eternally grateful to you both.” She said, and Yamada was quick to assure her that it was all a part of the job. During their car ride home, Yamada and Inko kept the topic light as Aizawa listened without contributing. He found himself hoping that her situation got better before it got worse. 

A rogue Kishin was a deadly one. 

This began a new, if a bit strange, pattern for the three of them. Aizawa and Yamada would pick Inko up every day to visit Toshinori in the hospital and would stay until she was ready to go home. As Toshinori got better and grew stronger, the pair worked hard until they finally became an official meister-weapon pair, and Aizawa made Yamada a death scythe. After graduation, they would now work for Lord Death himself, which was considered a huge honor. 

They still made time to help Inko, but their free time was becoming more limited.

When Toshinori was released from the hospital, he immediately moved in with Inko, much to the other’s delight. With the help of the other meisters and weapons, Inko was able to find a cheap rental in the countryside and had officially moved there. Toshinori found the small house charming, as it reminded him of Inko in how homey it felt. The two were able to settle there, and finally begin a life away from the madness that was their senior year. 

A few more months had passed and Inko was beginning to show, and Toshinori found himself ready to accept the role as the child’s father figure.

The two had discussed it one night, and Toshinori had offered to adopt the child if Inko was comfortable with that. As happy as she was with the thought of Toshinori being her son’s legal guardian, the soon-to-be mother told him not to make any rash decisions. She preferred that he waited for the baby to arrive first before talking about adoption. The meister agreed and realized very quickly he had no idea how to be a father.

The day that the child is born, Toshinori cried for at least an hour, Yamada calling him a softy as the meister gently holds the sleeping baby. He was a softy, because every time he looked at the small child, he could only feel overwhelming happiness. Inko had decided on the name Izuku, and both her and Toshinori were relieved that he took more after his mother than his father. The only resemblance he held were the prominent freckles peppered across the baby’s face, and his emerald green eyes.

But to Inko, he was perfect.

The new mother had held her child for hours after he had been cleaned up. She would mumble softly to him, sometimes it would be songs, other times it would be cooing. Inko looked tired, sweat pulled hair to her forehead and her gown felt sticky, but she seemed to glow whenever her child made a noise or moved. Toshinori never thought she looked more beautiful than she did then, her child a symbol of her unwavering love.

As Izuku grew, it was obvious he had inherited his father’s drive and soul wavelength. While Inko herself possessed that ability, it was clear that his powerful soul came from his father. Whenever Izuku asked about his abilities both Inko and Toshinori explained them away as best as they could, claiming that Inko came from a family of powerful souls.

But the realization that the past couldn’t be ignored came in the form of an injured Izuku. The curious boy had tried to control his soul wavelength and was able to shoot out a beam of pure energy. However, he ended up injuring his hand and began crying, which is how Inko found him. She quickly banged the injury, keeping her emotions to herself as she explained that with such a powerful soul, it would be wise to train it before trying to use it.

With the help of Toshinori the two parents had quickly created a training schedule that would help Izuku control his soul wavelength, as well as Inko offering any advice she could. For her, control over her soul wavelength had come easy, and so it was hard to explain how to control it. Because of that, Toshinori had become the sole trainer for Izuku, which was why the child called him “Mr. Toshinori” instead of “dad”. Understanding the importance of control at a young age, Izuku only became more invested in understanding and controlling his powerful soul. 

Now, after all his training, Izuku had a weapon. A weapon who looked at Izuku as if he held the sun in the palm of his hand. Inko loved Hitoshi, as the boy was a perfect match for Izuku. She had seen how he handles her son’s anxiety, how the weapon was able to distract him when he got into his own head, and how he was helping Izuku stop apologizing for everything.

She had also seen how her boy had helped the weapon become more confident in his own abilities and helped Hitoshi get out of his own head when it came to self-confidence issues. The mother saw how both boys struggled with it, but together they were more confident in their abilities. Inko couldn’t have been happy for them, even if she were worried about Izuku’s abilities. 

The biggest problem that Inko noticed, as well as Toshinori, was the guilt that seemed to cling to Izuku. 

The two continued to practice under the watchful Toshinori, but no matter what the weapon continued to earn varying degrees of injuries. Said weapon hadn't complained and was pushing himself to be stronger for his meister. Said meister felt horrible for not being able to hold back, and for being the cause behind his weapon’s injuries. This was one of the arguments Inko had overhead while preparing dinner, the boys not realizing the kitchen window was open as they lay a few feet below it.

The following day, the atmosphere in the kitchen was... awkward. Inko had prepared lunches for both boys, as Hitoshi had basically moved in with the family. Both boys thanked her, but their usual lively attitude was muted. Obviously, the argument from the other day still lingered between them, and neither knew how to proceed. She wasn’t sure how to help, or if any advice that she had would be taken well.

Toshinori, bless him, had tried to lighten the mood with jokes he found funny. But due to his own awkwardness the jokes often landed poorly, and the boys were more confused rather than amused by them. Still, it was a valiant attempt and it somewhat helped lighten the mood, and for that Inko was grateful.

After the boys finished their breakfast, they each thanked Inko, who gave them their goodbye hugs before they got ready for school. Toshinori also stood up, which surprised all in the kitchen.

“Would you boys be alright if I walked with you to school? I actually have some business there today, and since we’re going to the same place I thought ‘hey, might as well’.” The man said, and Izuku gave him a smile.

“Sure Mr. Toshinori! Hitoshi and I don’t mind one bit.” The green haired meister said, and his weapon nodded in agreement. Toshinori offered his own smile, and soon all three were on their way.

Inko watched as the front door closed, leaving her alone in an empty house that held too many secrets. Noticing the time, she quickly made one last trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth and make sure she looked appropriate for work. As she fiddled with her hair, Inko noticed she was biting her lower lip, her features scrunched in worry. 

Blinking, the green haired mother also realized the hand combing through her hair was shaking. With a deep breath, she stilled her hand and lowered her brush. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing.

_Yagi said he would handle this. You must trust him and be there for your son. C’mon, Inko! You’re better than this!_

With a light tap on her cheeks, she gave herself one more once over before leaving her home and headed into the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience as I tried to get this chapter out! As you can see, this one is much longer than the others, because I just couldn't stop writing! I hope that you all enjoy the update, as we'll resume with the original story with the next update!


	4. brewing schemes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The walk to school did nothing to dissipate the tension that seemed to hang heavily in the air. Yagi had thought that when the three of them had left the house, the tension would fade with the change of scenery. He personally enjoyed the early morning air; the old meister found that with the rising sun came a new day full of opportunity. But this seemed to have the exact opposite reaction with young Izuku, as the boy hardly seemed to notice the temperature change from indoor to outdoor.

So far, Yagi’s plan was falling apart right before his very eyes.

The walk to school did nothing to dissipate the tension that seemed to hang heavily in the air. Yagi had thought that when the three of them had left the house, the tension would fade with the change of scenery. He personally enjoyed the early morning air; the old meister found that with the rising sun came a new day full of opportunity. But this seemed to have the exact opposite reaction with young Izuku, as the boy hardly seemed to notice the temperature change from indoor to outdoor.

With the continued downward cast of young Midoriya’s head, both the older meister and the younger weapon exchanged looks.

The purple haired teen shot him an accusatory look, as if demanding an explanation, a solution, or even what his plan was. The man in question only weakly responded with raised eyebrows, alarmed by such an intense stare and a demand for responsibility. The familiar feeling of panic began to bubble in the blonde’s throat.

In all fairness to the weapon, it was Yagi’s idea to leave early for school. He had ushered the children out of the house with the conviction of a man with a plan. He was embarrassed to admit it, but his plan was merely to remove the young Izuku from the household. He had seemed uncomfortable, and Yagi had acted without thought. In all honesty, the older meister had really hoped that the crisp, clean, morning air would help clear the head of his young student. Instead, said student didn’t even seem to register that he was outside, a faraway look on his face. In fact, it looked as if he had pulled further into himself; green eyes shiny, swimming with unshed tears, his mouth was fixed in a firm line as lips turned pale at the strain, his hands a death grip on his backpack straps. Unfortunately, the young Izuku looked more distressed than before, and when Yagi was able to finally piece together what could have caused his student to be so distressed, he almost stumbled with the weight of it.

He had been trying to stay strong in front of his worried mother.

Now that his mother was no longer present, he was allowing himself to be upset. The mentor felt like a fool for only now piecing this together, and with the way the weapon was staring him down, he didn’t feel alone in that assessment. In clear desperation, the blonde tried to find ways to fix the current situation. But as more time went on, Yagi found himself falling short of anything meaningful or helpful. To do anything at all, he tried to gain young Izuku’s attention.

“Say! Young Izuku! The weather is rather pleasant today, is it not?” The man tried asking, a forced smile on his face that must have looked as fake as it felt. Luckily, the gloomy meister didn’t seem to register he was being asked a question, and only hummed noncommittally in response.

There was a stretch of awkward silence that passed between the three before the green haired boy blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it, and turned towards his mentor.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Toshinori, did you say something?” He asked, and the weapon next to him dramatically groaned and slammed his hands against his face rather aggressively. He shot the older meister another pointed look, fingers raking through his hair, causing it to stand up in a mess. 

The older meister continued to smile and shook his head.

“No worried, young Izuku! The day is still fresh, after all. I was wondering if you felt the same!” Yagi said, receiving a baffled Hitoshi who mouthed ‘still fresh?!’ behind an oblivious Izuku, who only nodded, as he retreated into his mind. It had quickly dawned on the older meister that he had no idea how to help Izuku if his student did not want to work with him. He knew that the green haired boy could be stubborn, but he had yet received the negative side of such stubbornness.

He could handle anything Izuku threw at him if he were able to gain the boy’s attention; but without it, Yagi had only now realized how lucky he’d been up until now.

Hitoshi must’ve reached the same conclusion and sighed heavily. He dragged his hand across his face, a mixture of annoyance and resignation in his eyes. He rolled his shoulders, completely ignored by his partner as if he were warming up for something. Yagi found himself curiously watching on, relieved that someone else was trying to pull the young Izuku out of his head. Hitoshi took a deep breath and wound up his arm, still going unnoticed by the boy. Quickly, the weapon slapped the back of Izuku’s head with enough force to startle him out of his head, causing the boy to yell in surprise.

“What the hell was that for, Shinsou?!” The meister asked, clearly not expecting such behavior from the usually mild-tempered weapon. Said weapon only offered a shit-eating grin and went to go slap him again, this time with less force. Izuku dodged, not like the blow would truly hurt him, but it was the principle of it.

“You know what they teach us, Izuku! How one must keep their wits about them, no matter where they are. Everywhere is a battlefield ready to happen. Like any good partner would do, I wanted to help make sure my meister was keeping his wits about him.”

“Oh, you’re right, how silly of me.” Izuku said, his voice now taking a pleasant tone. Hitoshi narrowed his eyes in suspicion as his partner stepped towards the weapon with intent. The cocky attitude now dropped, Hitoshi suddenly took a running stance, watching his meister wearily.

“Izuku, no wait, this isn’t fair—!”

But before the weapon could finish his sentence, his partner took another step towards him. Without much thought the weapon broke out in a sprint, calling for mercy and forgiveness. Without missing a beat, his meister ran after him, yelling for justice against such a rude and crude attack against his fellow man.

Yagi watched on with amusement, his smiles in a soft smile as Izuku chased after his weapon. At first, he felt guilty for having young Hitoshi to take over, but the weapon clearly had a better handle on Izuku than he currently did. But the feeling of being unable to help his student had caused the ever-growing guilt to step heavily in the older meister’s gut. Shaking his head, the blonde continued after the pair, taking his time to catch up to them. Yagi would like to claim that those two needed a moment of privacy before school began, and that staying back was a strategic decision. But in all honesty, there was no way he could have kept up with them after they began running, especially in his condition.

Something that had always surprised Yagi was how fast his student could be. If he wanted to, and the older meister had seen the different between being forced to run versus deciding to run. No matter how many times he had seen it, the blonde was still surprised when Izuku would suddenly add a burst of speed after running a while. It seemed that Hitoshi had either learned how quick Izuku wanted to be or had forgotten it when he noticed how quickly his partner was gaining ground between them. When Yagi finally caught up, he had to stifle back his laughter.

Izuku had his weapon in a headlock, with his partner begging for mercy. After a few moments, Yagi cleared his throat, allowing his presence to be known.

“Alright, I think young Hitoshi has been punished enough, wouldn’t you agree, young Izuku?” He asked, and his student shot him a sheepish grin.

Immediately the young Izuku quickly let go of his weapon, who then gasped dramatically and fell to the floor on his knees. The meister only rolled his eyes at his partner’s antics, but his eyes didn’t hold the same shininess to them. Yagi also noted that while he was now sweaty after his unplanned morning run, his student seemed lighter than before.

“Sorry Mr. Toshinori, looks like I got carried away again.” He said, and after a moment the meister helped his partner back to his feet. Said partner was gripping Izuku’s arm like a lifeline, his usually pale face now flushed a warm pink as he struggled to regain control of his breathing.

“Damn Izuku, how the hell can you run so fast?” He asked, which caused Izuku’s smile to tighten. Yagi narrowed his eyes as his student answered,

“I’ve just had a lot of practice.”

The older meister made a mental note to investigate that further, but now was not the time. Loudly clapping his hands, the older meister drew the attention towards himself once more and smiled at both of his boys.

“Thank you for walking with me to school today! I hope that you have a good day and treat it to the fullest!” He said, and the young Izuku began to furiously nod, his eyes now shining in excitement rather than dismay. The young Hitoshi only graced him with a curt nod, but the soft look he was shooting his partner was enough for the older meister.

“Alright, see you after school. C’mon Izuku, you know how Iida gets when we’re not exactly five minutes early. We’re pushing it as is.” Hitoshi said and Izuku quickly stopped nodding, quickly looking at his wristwatch to confirm the time. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he gasped in surprise. He quickly looked up his mentor, shooting him another smile.

“Alright Mr. Toshinori! We gotta go! See you later!”

Just like that both of his students were off. Hitoshi was demanding how Izuku had more energy to run, but Izuku only responded with a laugh. His student looked better, if not calmer than he had previously. With his own turmoil settled, his partner’s own anxiety seemed to ease as well. Yagi was proud that his student was able to find such an understanding and patient weapon, which made the next conversation he had to have that much harder.

Mentally preparing himself for what was to come, the older meister walked through the gates with less enthusiasm as his student and began his journey to the teacher’s lounge. The blonde knew that he would arrive early if he showed up now, but he knew that Aizawa wasn’t working until much later, as he hadn’t taken on a class yet. Plus, he would like for this meeting to take place sooner rather than later.

Walking the halls of his old school was a surreal experience for him; no matter where he went, memories of the past haunted him. He passed the stairwell where Sakura would like to slide down after school, a nervous Inko rushing after her while Yagi and… quickly he shook his head as if to banish those thoughts from his head. He was here today to discuss how to better help Izuku, not taunt himself with possibly “what ifs”.

When he saw the off-white sign of the teacher’s lounge loom closer, Yagi felt himself become more nervous. He knew that Aizawa would not be pleased with what he would hear today, but Yagi trusted this man with his life. If anyone could help his student, the older meister had no doubt that his old friend was more than capable.

Still, he hesitated when he reached the door, his fist raised to knock but stayed frozen. He began to wonder if speaking to these two would be better later, after a good lunch? But before he was able to back away, the door slid open to reveal the man Yagi was most nervous to meet.

“Ah! Aizawa, funny to see you here!” Yagi said, his attempt of laughter falling short as Aizawa only stared at the blond. The other meister narrowed his eyes at the man before him, clearly suspicious as to why he wanted to meet up with him, and why was he more nervous than usual?

The dark-haired man decided he needed to start somewhere, as Yagi was only getting more fidgety as the silence stretched on.

“You’re early.”

“Ah! Y-yes… After some thought, I believe that having this conversation earlier would be more benefiting than later.” The blonde said, pulling at his jacket sleeves. The awkward smile was back at full force, which caused Aizawa’s dread to rise. Whatever his chaotic friend would need, he knew it couldn’t be anything good. Before he could respond, a hand landed softly on his shoulder, and the familiar weight grounded him.

“Yo! It’s my favorite weaponless meister! Truly, it has been too long since I’ve seen your beautiful smile!” Hizashi said with his abnormally large smile. Yagi sagged in relief at the sight of the other blonde, and his smile less forced.

“Hizashi! Hello my dear friend! I am happy to see you as well!” Yagi says, to which Hizashi laughed at. Patting his shoulder one more time, the weapon walks past Aizawa and spreads his arms wide. The older meister laughs but falls into the hug easily. After all, the loud blonde gave the best hugs.

Aizawa clears his throat, annoyance written clearly over his face.

“As nice as this reunion has been, since Toshinori has decided to drop by much earlier than anticipated, let’s get this over with.” Aizawa said as the two stepped out of their hug. The meister noted that Yagi tensed up with the mention of the upcoming conversation and allowed himself to sigh. Whatever was coming his way wasn’t going to be pleasant.

After the three had entered the room, Yagi sank into his seat while the two others took the couch opposite of him. He noticed that the teacher’s lounge had a few more seating arrangements, as well as a mini kitchen equipped with a microwave and coffee maker. There was one wall completely of windows, allowing the natural light in. Outside was the perfect view of the entry gates, something that Yagi found himself particularly interesting.

Hizashi cleared his throat politely and draped his arm across the back of the couch. The movement caught Yagi’s eye, and he found himself looking at two curious faces. Hizashi was offering a soft smile while Aizawa had narrowed his eyes, his arms folded across his chest. The meister cleared his throat and scratched the side of his face.

“Ah, yes, of course. There are a couple of things that I want to address before we begin. To start this off, I want to start this by thanking you for agreeing on meeting me. Secondly, what I have to say would be better said in a story, and I promise it will all make sense once I finish it. Lastly, I have something to ask of you after I finish with my story. Will you hear me out?” Yagi said, looking at the partners who took a moment to nod. Hizashi nodded for them while Aizawa made himself comfortable.

Yagi let out a breath he had been holding, taking a moment for himself before he continued.

“We begin with the child Izuku Midoriya, and his powerful soul.” Yagi begins his story, mainly looking at the feet of the people he was talking to. It was hard sharing the details of what happened after Midoriya’s father left his life, and how Yagi himself tried to step up where a father normally would.

He explained how he noticed how Izuku’s soul would randomly spike, breaking an object close to him. Or how he would accidentally hurt himself due to his powerful soul. Yagi tried to not overshare any details to allow some privacy between Izuku and his two potential students. But he couldn’t lie to them either; he explained how hard it was for him to try to contain his massively expanding soul, and how his soul wavelength seemed to lash out around them. As he continued with his story, the meister noticed the intensity of Aizawa glare on him. Finally, he finished with Izuku unintentionally hurting his weapon partner with his soul, and how Yagi himself cannot help with the situation.

After a beat of silence Yagi looked up at his two friends who were sporting various degrees of displeasure.

“Please, can you help me figure out the best way to help young Midoriya? I know for a fact he does not wish ill will onto others, but if he loses control of his concentration his soul lashes out. Aizawa, with your soul’s properties I thought you would be the best person to look into this.” The older meister said, and Aizawa slowly nodded his head.

There was another beat of silence before either partner responded, Hizashi exchanged a series of looks with Aizawa before both turned towards the other meister.

“How long have you known that this has been an issue?” Aizawa asked, and Yagi felt himself gulp. He should have expected this line of questioning, but still felt unprepared.

“For a while now, at least a couple of years.” The man answered, causing the dark haired meister to clench his jaw.

“You’ve had a potentially unstable soul unmonitored by anyone with proper training living with you and Inko for years?” He asked, and Hizashi grabbed his hand, as if holding him back from becoming physical.

“But he’s brought it to our attention now, hasn’t he? That’s got to be worth something.” The blonde said, usually soft spoken. His partner seemed to settle under the touch, but anger seemed to bleed from his eyes.

“Now you want us to clean up the mess you’ve made?”

Yagi couldn’t bring himself to speak, the shame of the situation hanging heavily over his head. Instead the man elected to nod, the action causing the black-haired man to click his tongue in annoyance.

“It’s my duty as a teacher to monitor the well-beings of my students. I will need more information about Midoriya’s weapon partner, Hitoshi, correct?”

“Yes, young Izuku’s partner is Shinsou Hitoshi. He is such a nice young boy, although from my understanding he’s been passed around in the foster system due to his unique soul. He’s been living with us for a while, and I know that Inko has talked about possible adoption for him. The two children get along just fine, but they struggle with soul resonance. This is due to Izuku’s iron control over his soul, versus the meddling of the two souls when it comes to soul resonance. This is also where Hitoshi gets hurt.”

“I see…” Aizawa said, already forming a half-baked plan on how he could best help these students. It sounds like while they are good friends, they would not be suitable weapon partners. Izuku would need a weapon that could absorb their meister’s additional soul energy and wield that. A weapon could receive damage from their meister if their energy did not align, which is why it’s so important to take Choosing Day seriously. Already feeling a headache come on, Aizawa closed his eyes and sighed, leaning more into his partner for comfort.

“Alright, so we place them in a situation that would cause them to use soul resonance. Do they have any experience in field combat?” The teacher asked, and Yagi shook his head.

“No, I’ve only had time to drill in the basics. From my understanding, they’re to be partnered up with two additional teams for their first mission. May I make a recommendation?” The blonde asked, and the teacher raised an eyebrow in response. Taking the silence as a yes, Yagi continued.

“Inko has informed me that she thought young Izuku and young Bakugou would make for a good partnership, due to the volatility of young Bakugou’s soul. I have yet to witness this in action, but it seemed that both mothers thought those two would partner on their Choosing Day.” Yagi said, and Hizashi hummed while he thought.

“I wonder why those two didn’t, then. If it was expected of them, then why wouldn’t they? I bet there’s some bad blood between them.” He said, causing the other two in the room to look at him.

“What would cause you to say that?” Aizawa asked, although he didn’t sound accusatory. In fact, he seemed curious and willing to listen, which Hizashi always appreciated.

“Well, I think that there must be more to the story. If both boys were almost encouraged to form a partnership by their mothers, something else is going on. Maybe something happened between them that they kept from their respective mothers?” He suggested, and felt his partner nod in response, thinking about his suggestion.

“If that’s the case I would like for one of the partner teams to be his. It would help me figure out if there is a clear understanding as to why they didn’t choose each other, and whether that reason is a valid one or not.” Aizawa said, content with his selection thus far.

“However, I would like to see how they would react to a team that has been in the field already. This is merely a personal lesson for me, to see where everyone is with a teamwork strategy.” The teacher said with a small smirk on his lips. Hizashi sighed dramatically, then chose that moment to stand.

“If a field team is what you need, why not ask for Todoroki and Yaoyorozu? I think they’re returning from another mission later today.” He said and his partner nodded, stood, and walked over to the mini kitchen. He picked up one of the post-it notes pads on the island and wrote something down. He then ripped the post-it in half and handed one half to Hizashi, who read it and nodded. The black-haired man then turned towards Yagi with an almost excited look on his face.

“Thank you for bringing this situation to my attention, Toshinori. I will be doing a test tonight to gauge what is needed for each group’s personal training. If you could not tell Midoriya or Hitoshi what is happening tonight, that would be appreciated. I wouldn’t want them to have their test ruined, after all.” Aizawa said and the quiet weapon couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Realizing that he was the only one left standing, Yagi quickly rose to his feet and extended a hand towards his friend.

“Thank you, Aizawa, I really appreciate it.”

Said friend shook his hand, his smirk turned softer.

“Anything for an old friend. Try not to make this a habit, Toshinori.”

When Yagi left the teacher’s lounge with Hizashi, who did have a class to teach, he felt better. If there was someone out there willing to help young Izuku with his soul, then Yagi would not stop them. Aizawa’s abilities to stop any soul’s wavelength was an added bonus and might allow young Izuku to actually use his soul’s wavelength. As he left the school grounds, he couldn’t help but look back up at the window he’d looked out of earlier. He wondered how it must feel to teach at the same place where everything… happened. Shaking his head, the old meister left the school grounds, keeping his head up and shoulders rolled back.

He had done this not only for Izuku, but for Inko as well. The blonde kept this in mind as he walked back to his house, leaving the haunting memories at the school entrance.

Izuku was handling a different problem in his classroom, unaware of what had transpired. He was between Uraraka and Shinsou, defending his weapon from any extra social interaction. He was thankful for his weapon pulling him out of his funk from earlier and was repaying him by taking the brunt of the social interactions for the day.

“Do either of you have training today?” Izuku asked, and Iida shook his head. He was sitting stiffly at his desk, Uraraka sitting on his desk and playfully kicking her legs. Her partner had reprimanded her about such crude behavior, and she innocently asked what was so crude about it. Ever since Iida had been sporting a blush and his movements were extra stiff.

“No, not today. Why, do you?” Uraraka asked, and Izuku shook his head.

“Nope, this is our first day off in a while, which is great! I think Shinsou and I will either hit up the library or maybe a local park? I haven’t had the chance to really see what’s around the school.” Izuku said and Uraraka nodded in agreement.

The weapon was in the middle of listing a few good cafes in the surrounding area when the classroom door opened.

In stepped a professor that nobody had had yet, her presence demanded everyone’s attention without her saying a word. All noise had abruptly ended, and the teacher cleared her throat.

“No worries, kiddoes! Your youthful behavior is not an issue, I am here for a different reason. The following students have been requested by our principal: Izuku Midoriya, Shinsou Hitoshi, Eijiro Kirishima, Katsuki Bakugou, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Shouto Todoroki. That’ll be all!” She said, and quickly left the classroom.

The soft shutting of the door caused the commotion to resume in the classroom. Shinsou slowly raises his head, his eyes finding Izuku’s who merely shrugged. The meister didn’t think they were in trouble, in fact Shinsou did a great job of keeping Izuku out of it.

Slowly the weapon stood, stretching with a big sigh.

“Alright, I guess that's our que to head out.” He said and Izuku hummed in agreement. They left at the same time as the other groups, which wasn’t surprising but nevertheless awkward.

Kirishima had decided to walk next to Izuku and Shinsou, talking as if nothing was wrong. Izuku found it easy to talk to the energetic redhead, as he was friendly enough and easy to befriend. Yaoyorozu was also easy to talk to, but she was polite enough and Izuku found her friendly in her own way. Shouto, however, didn’t seem interested in talking.

As the six of them made their way to the principal's office, only three of them spoke, with Shinsou throwing his opinion from time to time, depending on the topic. Kacchan was oddly silent, but unsurprisingly was walking in front of everyone.

When they all made it to the office, Shouto was the one who opened the door and led them in, quickly followed by his meisters. Kacchan shoved his way in next while Kirishima apologized for his weapon’s behavior and followed him. After he exchanged a brief glance at his weapon, Izuku entered with his weapon on his heels to find the scene before him more intimidating than he had thought.

There was the principal, sitting calmly behind his desk with a small smile on his furry face. He was holding his paws in front of him, but his beady eyes were watching each student enter his office. He seemed to be taking mental notes of each student and how they held themselves, which made Izuku feel self-conscious. He immediately seemed to draw the attention of the principal, but he quickly looked at the floor to avoid eye contact. After a beat of silence, the principal began to talk.

“Hello and welcome to your first mission debrief! For Yaoyorozu and Shouto, this is not the case; however, I will give the new teams the same type of mission debriefs as I would any new team, so please be patient with me.” He said and the two other students nodded, Shouto somehow able to look bored without trying.

The principal smiled then continued, the eerie calm never leaving his face.

“You are assigned to talk down one of our rogue teachers: Shota Aizawa. He has “ditched” his meister and declared that he will take the path of the Kishin. He must be stopped by any means necessary. It is the duty of you three to track him down and subdue him. Because of the risks involved with his mission, I am assigning it to a group of three. Are there any questions?” He asked and Kacchan immediately began talking.

“Yeah, I have one. Why the hell would they assign a group of high schoolers to take on a rogue teacher? Wouldn’t a group of other teachers be a better fucking idea?” He asked, and Izuku couldn’t help but agree, even if his delivery was a bit aggressive.

The principal only looked amused and leaned forward in his seat.

“I see, if you think that you are not capable of such a mission, I can assign it to another group of students. I had hoped that you felt competent enough to handle this, seeing as you three are the strongest groups in your class.” He said and Kirishima quickly restrained his weapon, saying that they would take the mission. Shinsou looked at Izuku, who shrugged and received a nod from his weapon. Shouto said nothing, but his meister spoke on their behalf and said that they would also take the mission.

“Great! Your mission begins at sundown. Here is a folder with all the information that you’ll need on your target, including the last known spotting. Good luck!” The principal said, and they all thanked him and left his office. Kacchan kept saying that something was up with this mission, but he was otherwise quiet, Kirishima dealing with him while the others began looking over the file.

After discussing the location of his last sighting: a graveyard, which was a bit foreboding and unnerving for Izuku’s tastes. The other meister seemed in agreement, as her face began to pale at the list of crimes their runaway teacher had committed, and where they would be meeting him.

It felt like they were planning their own deaths.

Izuku had tried to plan something with the group, but anything he had to say was brutally cut off by Bakugou, something to the growing annoyance of Shinsou. At one point the group had to take a break, as Kacchan’s hands were popping from mini explosions and Kirishima had to form a body barrier between Kacchan and Izuku for the green haired meister’s protection. Shinsou also had to be held back by Izuku himself, who was barely blinking back tears.

It seems that while they haven’t officially talked in years, Kacchan still knew what to say to make his words _hurt._

After a while it became clear that no matter how Izuku tried to help, if he was involved Kacchan would start arguing over something the meister had to say, thus effectively derailing the conversation.

When the sun began to set, the three groups began their journey to the graveyard, which was an awkward journey for all partners. Kirishima was walking up with Kacchan and attempting to push the idea of working with the other groups as a good idea. So far, he was being ignored but Izuku commended him on his efforts.

Yaoyorozu was attempting to plan for an attack with the known terrain and was discussing the advantages and disadvantages of such a secluded area. One of the advantages Izuku heard was that the graveyard was enough away from any potential bystander, which meant they wouldn’t need to worry much about potential random hostages.

“Are hostage situations something that you two have dealt with?” Izuku heard himself ask before loudly covering his mouth. Lucky for him. Yaoyorozu was kind enough to talk to him.

“Yes, sometimes the demons try to escape via hostage, so we have to be prepared for anything.”

Yaoyorozu then described their biggest disadvantage was that if they needed any form of backup, it would take a while for them to arrive. Hopefully they wouldn’t need backup, or they could last long enough for help to arrive.

There must have been something in the meister’s voice that annoyed the angry blonde weapon, since he huffed in annoyance and turned towards the group with narrowed eyes.

“If you truly think that we’re weak enough to need backup, you extras are a lot weaker than I thought.” He said, and Izuku mentally groaned. Of course, he should have expected this. Kacchan liked to work on his own, and the fact that there were two additional groups with him and his meister must be rubbing him the wrong way.

“Well, maybe we should go over a few of the plans we came up with, just so everyone is prepared no matter what.” Izuku suggested, only to be scoffed at by the angry weapon.

“We don’t need a complicated plan, Deku. We only need our strength and willpower to overpower this nerd. Should be a simple mission.” He said, which caused Shinsou to let out a groan.

“Did you forget how many people this man killed?” The purple-haired weapon asked, causing the blonde weapon to roll his eyes.

“Yeah, but there’s no way those losers were as strong as me. Shitty Hair and I can handle this, you nerds can sit on your asses for all I care.” He said, and Izuku felt Yaoyorozu get more flustered as Kacchan continued to speak.

“Wait, but Kacchan maybe having some sort of plan—"

“Shut the FUCK up Deku, I’m not going to rely on your stupid ideas, got it?!” He said, turning around to fully face the green haired meister. Izuku shrunk back from the glare his old childhood friend was sending him, which caused Shinsou to step between them, his own eyes narrowed.

“What the fuck is your issue? Izuku is just trying to make sure everyone is on the same page when shit goes down, why is that a bad thing?” He said, which caused Kacchan to click his tongue.

“That nerd is just trying to prove how much stronger he is than me, and I’m not putting up with his bullshit. Fuck that.” He said, and then turned around to keep walking. Shinsou was seething and had planned on chewing out the blonde for saying such awful things to his meister, but a hand on his shoulder stilled him. He turned to see a determined Izuku, different from the one who was just avoiding Bakugou’s eyes mere moments before.

Behind the two groups, Shouto shot his meister an exasperated look, which was responded with one of her own.

Momo didn’t want to admit it, but she was getting a bit irritated, and she knew her weapon felt the same. As the only experienced people in their group, it was annoying that their opinions weren’t taken into consideration. But there wasn’t much they could do with people who were unwilling to work with a team. Bakugou made it very clear he had no interest in working with either of them and was putting considerable distance between them and Izuku.

The exchange between the two was something that not only confused Shouto but agitated him. There was no need to be so hostile towards someone who was trying to form a half-decent plan. Plus, once they found the rogue teacher, they were going to need a plan, or risk running into each other instead of apprehending the man. Shouto felt anger as well, for recklessly putting the safety of their partners at risk for not having a decent plan.

He had witnessed Kirishima try to persuade his partner in some sort of agreement, but the hothead was stuck in his ways. Shouto just hoped that such recklessness wouldn’t get them all killed.

But such recklessness would be the beginning of their downfall, as nobody had noticed the capture weapon lurking closer to their group.

Suddenly, Izuku felt something grab his leg tightly and pulled. He hit the ground with a yelp, causing everyone to turn in his direction to see their teammate hanging helplessly by the capture weapon owned by the man they were supposed to apprehend.

Said man looked over each student, as if taking notes of their strengths and weaknesses.

“So, they’re so desperate to catch me they send mere children to the slaughter? Oh well, your deaths will be in vain. But you could do me courtesy of making your deaths entertaining.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience! I wanted to post earlier, but I kept thinking that it wasn't good enough yet because of how long the last chapter way, plus my energy has been drained lately. Either way, I really hope that you enjoyed this update!! Please let me know what you think!!


	5. parting sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinsou was rooted to his spot for a total of five seconds before jumping into action. He had tried to transform into a weapon for his meister, only to be effortlessly brushed off by the villain. Shifting back into human form, the meisterless weapon couldn’t help but notice how the man held himself as if he didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, he seemed almost at ease with the situation, observing them with a bored expression as he effortlessly held onto a struggling Izuku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say that I am posting this late at night my time (almost 1 AM!!) but I got so excited at finishing a second chapter before June was up that I wanted to go ahead and post it!! I'll edit this if I end up doing some serious editing, and as always your comments are appreciated!!

Shinsou was rooted to his spot for a total of five seconds before jumping into action. He had tried to transform into a weapon for his meister, only to be effortlessly brushed off by the villain. Shifting back into human form, the meisterless weapon couldn’t help but notice how the man held himself as if he didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, he seemed almost at ease with the situation, observing them with a bored expression as he effortlessly held onto a struggling Izuku.

 _This was the enemy that U.A. trusted a bunch of newbies to capture,_ Shinsou thought, as he got back to his feet with some effort. Yaoyorozu had rushed to his aid, standing in front of him with her own weapon at the ready. It was the first time that Shinsou had seen Todoroki in his weapon form, which happened to be a double-sided battle axe, one side a dark onyx while the other a cool toned steel. The partnership looked made in heaven, with Yaoyorozu effortlessly swinging Todoroki towards the villain.

She looked fearless taking on the same man _who had just declared that they would all be dead before the sun rose._ The purple haired weapon wouldn’t help but feel in awe as his classmate charged forward, carefully avoiding Izuku as she attempted rescue. There were a couple close calls that Aizawa used Izuku as a shield to hold Yaoyorozu back, who had enough control to avoid injuring the captured meister. Even so he found it increasingly difficult to breath as the battle dragged out, Izuku still hanging precariously in the middle. The weapon desperately wanted to help out, but without his meister he was fucking _useless!_

But before Shinsou could begin to fully panic, he heard Kirishima sharply call out his name. With a shake of his head, the weapon focused back on the battle at hand, and realized that Yaoyorozu had to retreat some of the ground she had gained. Her jaw was set and she watched Kirishima and Bakugou engage with Aizawa, who was using the same human shield tactic as before. Only Kirishima struggled to pull Bakugou away in time, which often led to Izuku coming away singed. To Izuku’s credit, he continued to struggle against the hold of the captured weapon, although it was becoming clear to Shinsou that Aizawa was perfectly capable of keeping his attention evenly divided between the attackers and his hostage.

After coming to this conclusion, he quickly locked eyes with the other partner group, and signaled for a retreat. The meister nodded and the three of them fell back as Kirishima and Bakugou took over. Finding shelter behind a row of tall tombstones, Shinsou crouched and turned towards Yaoyorozu, a plan beginning to form.

“After Aizawa took Izuku hostage, I noticed something: he didn’t try to flee, he didn’t try to negotiate, he simply just stood there and took any attack we threw at him. Why would he do that?” Shinsou asked and then watched as the gears turned in the meister’s head, clearly thinking of an answer.

“Because he doesn’t want us to run away. He wants to fight us, maybe to prove a point to U.A. about the recklessness of sending children to do the adult’s jobs for them?” The long haired meister said, a curled finger braced on her lip as she thought out loud.

“Maybe he was being truthful with his first statement.” Todoroki said, and Shinsou almost started at the sound of the other weapon’s voice. Quickly, he shook off his surprise to feel uneasiness spread from his gut.

“So, you think he actually wants to kill us all?” Shinsou asked as he tried to keep the panic out of his voice. Todoroki remained silent, and his meister narrowed her eyes.

“If that were true, he wouldn’t have taken a hostage. If his end goal is to murder all of us, it would have been easier to get all of us before we were able to react. I think he’s playing with us; seeing what we’re capable of before finishing us off.” She said, and Shinsou felt an odd sense of relief replace the unease.

“Now, if that were the case, then we still have a chance to save Midoriya.” Todoroki said, and the relief seemed to blossom within the purple haired weapon.

“Okay, great, now we need a plan to do that. Izuku is a very capable fighter, but with the villain’s full attention evenly split between him and whoever is attacking, he won’t be able to break free. The material he’s caught in must be preventing him from using his normal soul wavelength, which must be why he hasn’t broken free yet. If we’re able to give him that chance, he should be able to break on his own.”

There was a beat of silence as the other two took in the information Shinsou provided.

“We can provide that distraction, but how are we supposed to communicate that with Kirishima and Bakugou?” Todoroki asked, and as if to prove a point a loud explosion shook the ground around them. Cautiously peeking out behind their temporary shelter, the three were meant with the sight of Kirishima’s smoldering hands, and a flaming Bakugou, who only seemed to get hotter. After exchanging a quick glance with each other, they were off.

Shinsou made a bee line to Kirishima as the other two headed straight for Aizawa, who openly mocked them for taking such a long time to devise a plan of some sort.

“I knew you were children, but I had expected U.A. to send the brightest of the bunch. Don’t tell me you’re scared now, are you?” The villain asked as he dodged another blow from Yaoyorozu. She snorted and shifted her hold on Todoroki, who was now beginning to steam himself. Blocking out as much of the fight behind him, Shinsou dragged Kirishima and Bakugou away from the fight. While Bakugou shouted out profanities, the other weapon tried his best to talk over the outraged weapon for his meister’s sake.

“Listen, I doubt I have a lot of time to tell you that we have a basic plan in motion. All we have to do is ambush Aizawa and allow Izuku to break himself free.” Shinsou said, and suddenly Bakugou’s wrath is directed towards him.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK I WAS DOING?! HE NEEDS A FUCKING DISTRACTION HE’S OUT THERE STRUGGLING! WHY ARE YOU WASTING OUR FUCKING TIME—?!”

“BAKUGOU!” Kirishima yelled, his weapon going deathly quiet. Taking a deep breath, the meister turned towards Shinsou with his jaw set.

“Alright, so we’re going in as support Izuku until he’s able to break free, and then what’s the plan?” Kirishima asked, and Shinsou felt himself grin despite himself.

“Then it’s playing it by ear, hopefully we’ll make it to see the sunrise.” He said, and Kirishima sported a grin to match.

“Couldn’t say it better myself. Let’s go.” And with that finality the redhead rushes back into the fray. 

All the while, Izuku has had the pleasant misfortune of hearing every taunt that Aizawa has blessed his tortured ears. While he was hanging upside down, he had a lovely view of both Shouto and Kacchan coming towards his face as Aizawa whipped him around willy-nilly. The villain was lucky it took him a lot more to get sick, or else they’d be dealing with a whole other issue. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his rising anger, which the bastard—the villain seemed to take glee in.

 _‘Getting mad will only throw me off my game. I just need to get away from my current situation and regroup with Shinsou.’_ Izuku thought as he was dragged through the air once more, this time coming face to face with a fiery Kacchan screaming in his face. Aizawa was laughing now, and his grip on Izuku tightened.

“Is this truly the best that you can do?! You can’t even rescue a hostage! It’s been a full 30 minutes, and you call yourselves partners.” The villain said with a scoff, and the captured meister couldn’t help but agree. It was difficult to escape with his capture’s full attention on him, and while he knew Kacchan’s constant attacks were supposed to help with that, being dragged around like a human shield wasn’t doing him any favors.

_‘Izuku. Cool it. Your weapon is regrouping with Momo and Shouto. You’ll be fine, just allow for them to come up with a plan. You know you get too hot headed in these situations. Just… breathe…’_

Izuku took another deep breath and allowed himself to go lax in the capture weapon’s hold. If Aizawa was surprised by his sudden compliance, he didn’t show it. He simply readjusted his hold on the hostage and continued dodging Kacchan’s fiery blasts.

When Momo and Shouto rejoined the fight, the captured meister felt a shift of energy change on the battlefield. Kirishima disappeared but he could still hear Kacchan’s enraged yelling, so he decided he wouldn’t worry unless that sound stopped. When Shouto resumed his attack, Izuku felt the weapon shift from heat to ice, and for that he was grateful. Whenever said weapon came too close to him, all that Izuku was in risk of was a cold blast across his face, or wherever Aizawa had decided to throw him.

But then suddenly Kacchan’s shouting stops, and Izuku feels himself begin to panic. Not much can cause the blond to quiet if he were truly pissed off, and the possibilities of what that could exactly mean were flashing before the meister’s eyes. Quickly, he squeezed them shut and continued his calming breathing and building up his soul wavelength. As soon as he got the opportunity, he was breaking out of there.

He just needed the observant villain to make a slip-up.

And the meister got it in the form of Kirishima and Kacchan rejoining the battle, working in synch with the other partner group. He knew because while there would be the familiar burn of Kacchan’s fire, there would be the soothing chill of Shouto’s ice, and it was only for a moment, but he felt Aizawa take a step away from the onslaught of attacks. It was a slight difference, but it was a _difference_ nonetheless.

A difference Izuku was fully intending on exploiting.

As quickly as he could the captured meister released all the energy he’d been collecting, exploding outward in an explosive movement, tearing free from the capture weapon in a single controlled burst and suddenly he’s free falling. He shifts his weight so he’s able to roll into the landing, not wasting time to look back and continue to run, eyes flitting around the battlefield in search of his weapon. A tuft of purple hair was tucked behind a row of tombstones and without another thought the now freed meister ran.

The battle continued behind him, but he ran as if the capture weapon was still on his heels. As the tombstones came nearer Izuku braced himself and leaped over them, which startled his weapon. For a moment the two only looked at each other before Shinsou transformed into his weapon form. Settled comfortably in his meister’s palm, Shinsou felt true relief settle over him.

“Don’t do something like that ever again.” He said, and Izuku snorted, regaining control of his erratic soul wavelength. If Shinsou felt pricks against his soul as Izuku settled, he didn’t comment, and after another beat Izuku launched himself back into the fray.

Momo and Shouto had moved to long ranged attacks while Kirishima and Kacchan had moved in closer to unbalance their opponent. Izuku took a moment before deciding to check-in with Momo and Shouto would be more beneficial than the latter group, seeing as they were too occupied to chat. Shinsou hummed in agreement and Izuku was off, sprinting towards his teammates as Shouto released another wave of ice towards their target.

“Thanks for the assist! How can we help?” He asked, shifting himself so he’d be able to defend Momo as she released yet another volley of ice.

“We’re quite capable here, you may want to try close range assistance, as Kirishima looks fatigued.” Momo said, taking a moment to wipe sweat from her brow. Shouto said nothing, but his silence was taken as agreement, and so Izuku nodded.

“I understand. Please cover me while I try to give Kirishima the rest he needs.” The green haired meister said, and without waiting for a response he pushed himself to charge full speed towards the man who had used him as a human shield. Feeling a flare or irritation, Izuku clenched his jaw and willing it down. He couldn’t afford having his soul wavelength hurt Shinsou at such a crucial moment.

Just as Kirishima was shoved away, Izuku was there to take his place with one final boost, jumping into the air and aiming his weapon directly at Aizawa’s face. Said man blinked, a small smirk crossed his face as he was forced backwards and away from the tired meister. Izuku swung his dagger again and again, switching hands as Aizawa began to deflect using his capture weapon.

“You’re actually capable of being more than just a shield, how interesting.” Aizawa said, and Shinsou felt his own anger spike, which was quickly soothed by Izuku’s call for calm.

“You’d actually be funny if you weren’t capable of mass murder and destruction.” Izuku said in response, earning a startled laugh from the man as they collided once more. The meister struggled to hold his ground as he felt the capture weapon try to move around his dagger. He hated how fluid that thing was, and jumped away when it got closer than he would have liked.

“I see you’ve actually learned from the first time. At least someone has a brain.” The villain said, and Izuku narrowed his eyes, his anger contained but his irritation was on the rise. Shinsou nudged his soul with his own as a reminder to cool it, earning a sharp jab from said soul, followed by panicked guilt.

“Izuku. You’re fine. Let’s just deal with this guy so we can put an end to this.” Shinsou said through gritted teeth, and Izuku tightened his grip on the weapon in response.

“You ready, then?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

The two began to focus on their respective soul wavelengths, drawing them closer together and allowed for their energy to build. But before they could get far, Izuku felt a sharp jab in his stomach, and lost all concentration. He blinked and saw that Aizawa was suddenly there, his fist twisted in the meister’s stomach and a large grin on his face.

“Nice plan, but you forget that I wouldn’t stand and allow it to happen.” The villain said, and Izuku felt a strong blast of pure soul energy from the man, which caused him to go flying backwards. The word around him fell in shades of gray, purple, and brown, and just as suddenly his back hit what must've been a tall tombstone. He couldn’t concentrate on what was happening around, nor could he fully process the words being spoken to him. He only seemed capable of taking shallow breaths as the meister tried to force air into his lungs. He closed his eyes and it felt like the earth was spinning below him, which caused him to lurch from his position.

Finally, he pried open his eyes. 

Izuku hadn’t realized he’d closed, and did his best to take in the scene before him. Shinsou had transferred back to his human form and was doing his best to gain Izuku’s attention. The weapon had a sturdy grip on his shoulders, and for that Izuku was grateful. Without it, there was no double that he would have fallen over. Beyond his weapon showed Kirishima engaging with Aizawa, but his movements looked pained, and the villain seemed to take great pleasure in taunting the pair. Kacchan still wasn’t yelling, and Izuku found himself growing concerned over the usually loud weapon.

Izuku cleared his throat and found that his hearing was slowly returning to him if a bit muffled. Blinking a few times, the meister turned his attention back onto his weapon, who was beginning to look more frantic.

“Sorry, it’s a bit hard to hear right now, but it’s coming back. What were you saying?” The meister asked his weapon, who seemed to sag with relief. He was sporting a decent size gash on his forehead, and Izuku felt pure rage take over him at the sight of the injury.

“I was saying that we need to help Kirishima and Loud Mouth, because that pair isn’t doing too hot. I was thinking that maybe switching to long range might give Kirishima the break he needs. His hands… look kind of burnt.” Shinsou said, and Izuku nodded while taking a few calming breaths.

“Right. Sounds good, let’s go.” Izuku said and Shinsou nodded, transforming once more into weapon mode. Gripping the hilt tightly, Izuku began running back towards the fight, only to see Kirishima go down. Panic consumed him and the meister boosted himself closer to the conflict, feeling a slip of control over his soul wavelength. He saw Kacchan transform into his half weapon form, crouched in front of his meister with a snarl on his lips. Aizawa only smirked as he watched Izuku land next to the furious weapon, his own weapon secure in his hands.

“Kacchan, you should move your meister out of the way towards Momo and Shouto. Shinsou and I can handle him for a few minutes before backup arrives.” Izuku said and Kacchan just snarled in response.

“The fuck you just say to me, you stupid fucking DEKU?! Shitty Hair pushed himself for YOU, and you just want him to fucking—?! LEAVE!? FUCK YOU!!” The blond haired weapon said, half turned towards the approaching meister. Said meister let out a sharp breath before deciding that right now, time was of the essence.

“Listen the FUCK UP, Kacchan! He’s giving up time to argue, the bastard is assumed by us right now. Let’s use it to get Kirishima to somewhere where he’s least likely to get MORE INJURED!! Now is NOT the time for a FUCKING PISSING CONTEST!!” Izuku all but shouted, his voice controlled but the usual control over his soul wavelength was slipping. Shinsou tried to warn him but it seemed like Izuku had reached his boiling point the longer Bakugou seemed to hesitate.

Suddenly, the blond clicked his tongue and quickly went to pick up his meister, turning his back fully on Izuku and Shinsou as he started running towards Momo and Shouto. Taking a calming breath, the enraged meister turned toward the smirking villain, who was still waiting for him to make another move.

“Done with your screaming match?” He asked, and Izuku felt a bitter laugh escape his lips.

“With him? Never.” That was all the meister said before he flung himself back in the fight, Aizawa’s delighted laughter filled the air as he deflected blow after blow, causing Shinsou to get more and more irritated as his own soul wavelength power was useless unless he was able to cut the villain. It seemed like the villain himself had some idea of this and was purposefully dodging every blow with intention.

“Is this truly the best that you can do?” The villain said with a wide grin on his face, while Izuku snarled in response.

“FUCK YOU!” The enraged meister screamed; his teeth bared towards the villain who actually took a step back.

Shinsou felt more cuts from the enraged soul, and tried to reach out to him, only to be completely blocked off. The weapon began to feel his own panic begin to swell as the shear amount of hatred poured off his meister in waves. His soul’s energy bounced harshly against his weapon’s, who seemed to be only around for the ride. Shinsou quickly began thinking of ways that might help his meister, but nothing seemed to work, no matter how loud she yelled.

Suddenly, there was movement next to the pair and Izuku reacted on instinct, and swung Shinsou towards the unknown, who effortlessly deflected him.

“Now look who needs to shut the fuck up. Get a hold of yourself, Deku, your weapon’s suffering from your incompetence.” Bakugou’s harsh words seemed to do the trick that Shinsou’s pleading could not, and suddenly Shinsou felt Izuku reestablish the connection between them, sour guilt flooding the weapon’s senses.

“Worry about me later. Let’s just finish this.” The weapon said, and his meister tightened his hold in response.

“Right, sorry.” Izuku said, and the blond weapon cuffed the meister on the back of the head.

“He just fucking told us to worry about him later. Respect his wishes and let’s finish the bastard.” Bakugou said, and Shinsou felt some sort of respect for the other weapon. While he was impulsive and loud, he also seemed to know exactly what to say to get Izuku to snap out of whatever funk he was currently trapped in.

“You’re right, Kacchan, let’s go.” Izuku said, and the two of them charged forward with the same amount of intense energy charged between them. Aizawa felt himself raise a brow, interest clearly written on his face.

“Oh, what’s this? The two of you are going to try and take me down? Let’s see if you’re capable.” The villain said with a grin, causing both weapon and meister to snarl at him. Without prompting, the two sprung into action, Bakugou coming in close while Izuku hung back, watching for any opening to cut into any skin and stop this fight.

Bakugou provided a great distraction, Momo thought as she dug through her bag for first aid. Kirishima was badly burnt, and his hands would need to be treated quickly if he ever hoped to wield a weapon again. Shouto stood in front of them and created a barrier of ice just in case any of the fighting reached them. He frowned as he watched Midoriya go from in control to out of control, a true beast that laid within. The weapon felt himself become unnerved as he watched the meister’s actions become more and more erratic, which unnerved the weapon more than he was comfortable admitting.

He seemed equal to Bakugou, who was now snarling and spewing out curses towards the villain, who was now openly goading the two. He seemed to be waiting for something, but the duel haired weapon hadn’t a clue as to what. But something told him to be wary and stay alert, and his instincts were never wrong.

Plus, another thing that had the weapon on edge was the size of Midoriya’s soul, and how it kept fluctuating sizes. It seemed as if it was being contained inside something too small to ever dream of containing such raw power. The sudden harsh breathing pulled the weapon away from the brutal fight before him and turned towards the battered meister that was coming to. Momo was quick to catch him up, as she held him down and applied more burn salve to his wounds. After taking a moment to fully take in the injured man before it, Shouto realized with a start that most of them were burn injuries, most likely from his volatile partner.

“Is Midoriya alright?” Kirishima asked, and Shouto chanced a glance back at the three who were currently engaged by the villain. Seeing as he was screeching bloody murder and bodily flinging himself at his opponent, Shouto wasn’t sure how to respond. Luckily for him, Momo quickly nodded and continued to apply the salve, her eyes never leaving her patient’s body.

“You helped save him. Now he and Bakugou are taking down the villain as we speak. We’ll only intervene if they truly need us. Right now, you are my responsibility.” She said, her tone even as her hands ever so slightly trembled. Kirishima let out a weak laugh, a small smile graced his slightly burnt lips.

“Shinsou did say that if all went well, we would see the sun rise. Knew I could count on his word.” The redhead meister said, and Shouto was shocked at the pure trust placed in the other weapon. A weapon that was not his own, and yet he had believed his word alone. Shouto risked a glance at his meister and saw that she too was just as surprised. Then she shook that expression off her face and squared her shoulders.

“Yes, we will make it to see the sun rise, and the next one after that. You can trust us, Kirishima. We won’t let anything happen to you or your weapon.” Momo said, her voice usually gentle as she spoke. Shouto felt himself nodding along and saw Kirishima’s smile slightly widen.

“Thanks, you guys, now, I think… I’m just going to… pass out…” The meister said, his eyelids drooping as he spoke. Momo only hummed as he drifted off to sleep.

Momo continued to treat his wounds as Shouto kept watch, neither of them speaking a word. The weapon watched as Midoriya was once again, knocked down by a brutal shove by Aizawa, only to have Bakugou take his place. But the man didn’t seem alarmed, in fact he seemed interested in their movements. As if he were calculating each of their next steps, looking for something.

That something came in the form of Midoriya charging forward, his arm slightly lowered and Shouto saw the exact moment Aizawa noticed his opening. Without much movement he dodged Izuku’s wide swing and struck him hard in the joint of the arm that was holding his weapon. Surprised, Izuku let go of his weapon, and was forced back towards a fuming Bakugou. Said weapon quickly transformed back and made a mad dash towards his meister, only to be vicariously knocked aside.

The weapon slid to a halt and bumped into the ice wall that Shouto created, all air knocked out of him on impact. Said weapon quickly created a doorway and dragged the battered weapon through, blocking the entrance soon after and propping the injured meister against it. He groaned at the icy child creeped into his back, soothing cuts and bruises that were there. Momo was on the purple haired weapon in an instant, looking for wounds and mentally making a list of what she would need to treat them.

“Shinsou, stay with me, okay? You’re going to be fine. Just let me treat your injuries, alright?” Momo said and Shinsou could only nod, too focused on breathing and relishing in the soothing chill the ice wall was providing. Shouto looked at the state of the other weapon and noticed the cuts he was sporting, none of them seemed to have come from Aizawa. Shouto narrowed his eyes and slowly looked between Kirishima and Shinsou, both who were suffering injuries from their partners.

Something heavy sat in his gut with that knowledge, and the duel haired weapon wasn’t sure how to feel about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!! I know I'm not the best at writing action scenes, so please bare with me as I get better!


	6. unsteady hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Panic seized his heart as the meister helplessly watched his weapon, his partner, fly across the battlefield. The feeling deeply lodged itself in his throat, choking him with worry and regret. If Izuku lost his partner, his friend, on the battlefield today he wasn’t certain how he’d respond. All he knew was that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Shinsou, someone who he trusted and actually trusted him back and oh hell what was he going to do if it was his fault for losing his partner—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! I hope that you're doing well! I just finished this chapter, and I'm so sorry for the wait!! I have had some stuff pop up in my life, and I've been dealing with them the best way I can. I know that I said that I want to post at least twice a month, and I will try to keep my promise. I hope you enjoy this new installment!!

Panic seized his heart as the meister helplessly watched his weapon, _his partner_ , fly across the battlefield. The feeling deeply lodged itself in his throat, choking him with worry and regret. If Izuku lost his _partner,_ his _friend_ , on the battlefield today he wasn’t certain how he’d respond. All he knew was that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Shinsou, someone who _he trusted and actually trusted him_ ** _back_** _and oh hell what was he go_ ** _ing_** **_to do if it was his fault for losing his_** **_partner_** _—_

A beat passed then his weapon crashed into Shouto’s ice barricade. Shinsou transformed back into his human form on impact and was worryingly still. Without any hesitation, the other weapon quickly pulled the unconscious, and _holy shit please let him just be unconscious_ , weapon through the ice blockage. The suffocating panic lessened enough to allow Izuku to breathe and notice the subtle movement from the ever-persistent capture weapon. Mentally the meister berated himself for getting distracted, and quickly dodged the weapon once more. The main objective was to not get captured, _again_ , and subdue their opponent. 

However, said opponent seemed to be enjoying himself while the other two were barely holding it together. Just like before, Kacchan kept throwing himself towards the villain, his arm transformed into a sharp blade as the weapon attempted to do _something._ But every single time, the weapon ended up landing flat on his ass and the man standing before him remained completely unharmed. Yet every time Kacchan would pull himself back up and try again. Distracting the man was only going so well because the man had allowed them to. If only Izuku could pinpoint **_why_ ** a villain would toy with them this long, rather than kill them and escape before backup could arrive. The meister dodged the capture weapon once more, teeth grinding at the interruption. His desperation was on the rise as he tried to think of what their **_next move could possibly be._ **

The stupid capture weapon was keeping him from fulling concentrating, and there was no denying that the villain was doing it on purpose. It had begun to follow him when Kacchan went on the defensive, and it seemed impossibly long. In fact, if Izuku was able to spend more time with it, he’d find himself more interested in it. But with the current situation being what it was, those fanciful thoughts had to go on the backburner. Right now, the important thing to note was that no progress was being made, Izuku was losing focus, and Kacchan was starting to get tired. The knowledge that if they fell, their classmates had to take over, two of them already out of commission, weighted heavily on the meister’s shoulders. They can’t fall here, he **_refused to fall here._ **

A powerful kick threw Kacchan across the battlefield, and without thinking Izuku rushed to the weapon’s side. When he reached his fallen friend—and wow how complicated had their relationship gotten? —he had formed a half-assed plan that really was a shot in the dark. Kacchan was struggling to get this foot, his face covered in sweat, bruises, and there was an ugly cut on his brow. It looked like he’d split his lip a while ago, but his eyes were alight with anger. His jaw was set but he looked at Izuku with such focus that the meister felt his breath catch. Shaking his head, he knelt next to his old friend and mentally organized his thoughts.

“Okay, I think I have a plan, but neither of us are going to like it very much.” Izuku said, and the weapon laughed bitterly.

“Because I’ve been enjoying myself so fucking much. Spit it out already.” Kacchan said, and Izuku laughed in surprise.

“Right, so when I was, um, captured from before? I was able to get a good read on Aizawa’s soul. It’s… Kacchan, it’s huge. There’s no way that just the two of us alone would be able to take him. He may just be a meister, but he’s a powerful one at that, and the control he has over his soul? It’s so impressive, and how he’s been able to keep such iron control over it during this entire battle? It hasn’t fluctuated once.”

There was a pause while the weapon took in the information and narrowed his eyes.

“So what? You think we need to retreat or something? That won’t stop the bastard, and isn’t that they whole fucking point of this?”

“No,” Izuku said, and carefully turned his head towards the villain, who seemed to be patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation.

“What I’m saying is, we’re not good enough alone. We… need to partner up.”

“Yeah, okay let’s go.”

Wait, what?

“Huh?” Was all the meister could say, and the weapon just rolled his eyes and stood.

“I’m tired of this asshole toying with us, and he’s doing it on purpose too. Let’s just fucking end this, I know you’re worried about your stupid partner.” _And so am I_ , went unsaid and yet Izuku heard it clear as day.

“Right. Okay yeah, let’s go.” Izuku said and stood as well, both meister and weapon stared at the man in front of them, who still looked too confident for Izuku’s liking. When the man stopped pretending to pick at his nails, he turned towards them with a raised brow.

“Oh? Have the two of you finally realized how to stop me? Or have you another half-baked plan ready to go?” The villain asked and Kacchan _snarled._ Okay, time to reign that in. The meister took in a deep breath and nudged the boy next to him with his elbow. The weapon clicked his tongue, but shifted into his weapon form, nonetheless. As Izuku went to catch Kacchan—holy shit it had been a while since he was _this close_ to Kacchan in his weapon form—a sharp memory came to him.

_“HA?? You think you're worthy of proving anything to me?! What I’ve seen so far hasn’t been impressive at all! Stick to what you’re good at: asking questions and fawning over those who are stronger than you.”_

With a harsh shake of his head, Izuku caught Kacchan at the hilt and took a steadying breath. Working with another weapon or meister wasn’t exactly illegal, but it was an uncomfortable experience. Kacchan’s soul was just as ruthless and passionate as the boy himself was, and for some reason Izuku found comfort in that. His soul seemed to race forward to meet his own, and the two collided with such force Izuku _stumbled_. It was just for a moment, and he quickly regained control over his own soul.

Even in weapon form, Kacchan’s angry cries echoed in his head, which reminded him that their battle was nowhere close to being over. It was a new sensation to feel another’s emotions riding alongside his own, which startled and confused the meister. Whenever he wields Shinsou, the weapon was like a soothing cool balm over his soul, helping Izuku pull back on his own soul wavelength. Very rarely would any negative or positive emotion would flash across their bond, as Shinsou usually was a calm person. It was something that Izuku found himself seeking out after a stressful day. But this was not the case with Kacchan, which should have made sense but still surprised Izuku. Right now, there were no thoughts of their classmates, Shinsou, or even their current situation.

Right now, there was only the intense drive to **_win._ **

The man seemed to shift at their silence, his stance no longer one of ease. The capture weapon was back to being active, and the fleeting thought of being used as a hostage caused Izuku to feel momentarily uneased. However, that feeling only lasted just a few seconds, and gave way to raw, unadulterated anger. It took a moment to realize that the anger wasn’t his, but _Kacchan’s._ Which meant that the weapon could feel whatever Izuku was feeling, which was another new development that the meister really wanted to drive into but now was **_not the time._ ** Right now, the meister squared his shoulders and tightened his grip over his temporary weapon, and that thought should _not_ have much emotional impact as it did. As he took one more steading breath, Izuku locked his gaze onto his opponent before him, and allowed Kacchan’s emotions to run through him.

**_Win. Survive. Now._ **

A scream ripped itself out of the meister’s throat as the young student charged, energy sparked off his skin and along the weapon. Aizawa narrowed his eyes and examined the souls before him. The young meister’s soul wavelength was steadily rising and then would suddenly stop, as if held back by the meister himself. The weapon had no such issues with holding back, his soul wavelength bouncing eagerly off the meister’s, as if trying to soul resonate. Strangely enough, it was the meister that was refusing to connect with the weapon. And yet, it still seemed as if the pair was connected, though it wasn’t by normal means.

_‘No, these two are obviously going to be trouble.’_ Aizawa thought but felt a smile creep on his face.

The older meister watched as the younger meister bodily through himself forward with a battle cry that had the small hairs on the back of his neck to rise. But he didn’t seem to be fully in control of his actions and stumbled over his own feet as he charged. There was a spike in the other meister’s soul wavelength, and his weapon’s jumped at the opportunity to soul resonate, when suddenly the meister slipped and crashed into the ground. The weapon transformed back into his human form and crouched next to the meister.

At first, Aizawa braced himself for another onslaught of attacks from the volatile weapon, but none came. It took him a moment to realize that the weapon was waiting for the meister to get back up and wouldn’t move until the other did so. Interested, the older meister watched on as the two interacted, curious as to why the meister, Midoriya if Aizawa remembered correctly, concerned Yagi. The biggest thing that the teacher noted was the meister’s refusal to use his soul wavelength to its fullest potential. He had hoped pairing up with this weapon, Bakugou he briefly remembered, would cause him to at least try something, but he was surprised when he only tightened his control.

What more could he possibly do, other than continue to taunt?

With the two talking softly to one another, Aizawa decided he had wasted enough time.

“Wow, was that your first attempt of ever partnering? Have you even trained with a weapon before? One would think with your soul’s potential, you’d be better at wielding a weapon. I seem to have overestimated your abilities, brat. Maybe it was for that best that I kept you apart from your original partner.” The teacher said, hoping the cutting words would get him the reaction he needed. However, the meister responded by grinding his teeth together.

The weapon, on the other hand.

“OI! THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!” Kacchan asked, small explosions coming from his hands as his whole form seemed to _steam_. While he wasn’t Deku’s partner, he would be damned if nobody thought he could insult the first person who he didn’t burn. Which, that new information was doing something to the weapon’s head that he didn’t want to think about. Not on the battlefield where victory meant life or death. The dumbass villain only shook his head, clearly amused by the weapon’s outburst.

“Well, it’s no concern of mine,” Stupid Scarf said as he checked for dirt under his nails—the blatant disrespect caused Katsuki’s blood to boil—before he continued with, “either way, I just have to take care of the two of you, and then to whoever is apart of the remaining party. After all, aren’t half of your members injured?” The fucking bastard said, then had the gall to look as if he were planning out their demise right in _front of them._

“Unless… of course, you think you can stop me? You’ve taken enough of my time, don’t you think?” Bastard Face said, and the weapon spoke before thinking.

“OF COURSE WE CAN FUCKING STOP YOU!! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK WE’RE DOING NOW?!”

“KACCHAN!”

The sharp cry from the previously silent boy caused both villain and weapon to turn towards him. Said boy was now looking at the villain from a different light, as if he’d figured something out.

_‘Finally. ‘Bout time Deku figured something out.’_ Katsuki thought as he turned his head towards the boy.

“Alright, spit it out. What the fuck did you figure out?” The weapon asked, and Deku narrowed his eyes in response.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but this situation doesn’t feel right. Why is he, a known villain, just standing there and simply talking to us? We know that he’s fully capable of murdering children, as we were told he’s done so before, so what’s different now? There’s just something wrong about that man standing there, and I get the feeling that he’s stalling. The question I’ve been trying to figure out is why.” Deku said, his brow creased as he continued to think of a possible explanation.

“His weapon isn’t here; he could be waiting for backup.” Katsuki offered, and Deku made a sound like he heard him, but didn’t agree. 

“Maybe, but, no offense, Kacchan, but we’re just children. Why would he need a weapon to take us down when he’s already taken out two of us without one? This whole situation just feels wrong, and I don’t like it one bit. I say we retreat.” And—what?

“What the fuck?” The weapon said, and that dumbass had the audacity to glare at **_him!?_ **

“KACCHAN! We both had injured partners, Shouto and Yaoyorozu can’t act as our support right now because they’re watching over our partners. If we can give them some time to get away, they can at least be safe, right?”

And that—okay, while it makes sense, the thought of running made something ugly settle in his gut.

“Like the bastard would let any of us get away. Deku, we gotta stop him now, or else we could all die. Is that a better outcome for you, hah?!?”

Deku was still glaring, but at least the dumbass didn’t respond. They stayed silent as they both thought of some sort of solution. Now that Katsuki thought about it, there was no real reason to toy with them. And the weapon wasn’t dumb enough to not acknowledge the massive powerhouse that stood before them. But Katsuki wasn’t a fucking **_coward_ ** that ran away from fights, and as far as he knew, neither was Deku. But how could the two of them take on somebody so powerful right in front of them without their respective partners? They had tried working together, but for some fucking reason Deku refused to soul resonate with him. Maybe…

The weapon looked back at the stupid meister; he was looking worse for wear, but his jaw was set and even though he offered a plan for retreat, his eyes seemingly calculated his next attack. He didn’t look like he was going to give up any time soon, and Katsuki realized that the bastard was going to do something reckless and try some half-ass self-sacrificial plan.

_‘What a fucking idiot.’_

The weapon clicked his tongue, squared his shoulders, and grabbed the back of Deku’s shirt before he could lunge forward to attack Bastard Man.

“Oi! I have an idea, you idiot.” The weapon said and felt Deku pull harder against him. He narrowed his eyes and harshly tugged the meister back, not caring to be gentle.

“Listen to me before bodily throwing yourself in an early grave!” The weapon said, and the meister all but snarled at him in response. In shock, the weapon nearly lost his hold on the semi-feral meister, but quickly tightened his hold.

“NO! Fucking!! LISTEN TO ME YOU FUCKING DEKU!!” Katsuki all but snarled, grabbing onto the fucking shirt like a lifeline, and once more pulling him back. The volume of his words seemed to get to the meister because he went lax in the hold.

“What is it?” He asked, irritated but without uncertainty. The conviction and pure _trust_ that radiated from the meister startled Katsuki, but the weapon knew when to roll with the punches, and Deku had always been unpredictable.

“I think the fucker is toying with us because he knows we aren’t partners. Fuck, he targeted are partners specifically because without them we’re useless. We tried fighting together but **_you fought against me._ ** I’m willing to do this again if you’re willing to actually _work_ with me.”

“Wait, you want to try again, even though—”

“Don’t make me regret this, Deku.”

“Never in a million years, Kacchan. Let’s get his ass.”

On that que, Katsuki felt himself shift from his human form to his weapon form, the sword landing comfortably in Izuku’s hands, unlike the first time. The blond felt another surge of energy, very different from Shitty Hair’s soul, and he grit his teeth at the sensation. Before, he was so connected to Deku that he could **_feel_ ** the emotions the meister had. But this time, he put a mental barrier between him and Deku, to stop any more freak outs. The energy from before was building, but the damn idiot was still holding back. Katsuki allowed for some irritation across the bond, and Deku inhaled sharply.

“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t pull this shit, Deku? You wanna die that badly?!” Katsuki asked and Deku fiercely shook his head.

“No! I just—I don’t want to hurt you, alright?!” He said, and the way his voice trembled caused the weapon to pause. It… seemed that the stupid Deku had a similar problem, then. Swallowing his pride, just this once, Katsuki sighed.

“You idiot, did you think I wanted to hurt you either? I trusted you enough to handle me, you think I can’t handle you?!”

That snapped whatever misconceptions that Deku had, and the meister let out a steading breath.

“Okay… Okay let’s do this.” He said, and suddenly Katsuki was swarmed with energy. It was overwhelming, but it wasn’t trying to hurt him. It was just reckless, and with a soul like his Katsuki was able to relate. Deku swung him in a circle, as if testing out their new connection, and Katsuki found himself grinning.

_‘Going all out, I wonder what kind of damage we could do.’_

Izuku felt dizzy with the sudden rush of power, of pure **_energy_ ** , that could only be described as **_Kacchan._ ** It was almost hypnotic how their combined souls bounced effortlessly off one another. But now was not the time to admire this newfound connection. With a shake of his head, the meister pulled his weapon in front of him and allowed their souls’ energy to build. Smirking, the meister faced the ever-patient villain, who was now observing them with open curiosity.

“You ready?” He asked and felt the weapon hum in response.

“I was born ready, idiot.” Was all the weapon said, and Izuku felt a sharp grin cross his features. Typical Kacchan, always ready to beat some nobody’s ass into the pavement.

Aizawa watched as they approached and tried to hide how pleased he was about this new development. When it hadn’t worked the first time, the teacher had worried that those two wouldn’t try again. How foolish he was, to doubt the two stubborn students before him. Aizawa made a mental note to not underestimate any of his incoming students. Instead, he blew out a whistle and shifted into a defensive stance.

“Wow, I wonder why the two of you didn’t just do this from the beginning. You would’ve saved a lot of stamina and time if you had.” The teacher said and was ignored. Mentally, he acknowledged that he was now being assessed and taken seriously, and he prepared for whatever these problem children had in store for him. He watched as Midoriya sprang forward and tried to swing his weapon down onto his head. Quickly, he dodged the blow, and they resumed the fight.

The teacher quickly found that a focused Midoriya was a deadly one. Those eyes hardly left him, as if calculating his next move, and where to swing his weapon next. He was getting better, as Aizawa was sporting a few cuts on his legs, and one on his face due to a lucky shot. But the kid was relentless, no doubt egged on by the drive of his weapon. It seemed that the plan was to disable him via injury to the leg, and while simple it was effective. Now, however, the cuts were accompanied by **_burns_** , as the blade heated up with each swing. Another swing came too close for comfort, and before the teacher could pull his leg away in time it nicked the back of his calf. While a normal cut would hurt, this one felt like it had **_burnt_** his calf. 

Aizawa was worried that once he got a handle on his weapon, he would be a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Now he understood why Yagi wanted Midoriya to have the extra training; there was potential there, but it was untapped and raw. He knew with just the right enough of pressure, he could help the young meister’s skills flourish.

_‘It’s just like Yagi to keep such a situation hidden until it exploded. What an idiot.’_ The teacher thought as he dodged an able fatal blow. The kid was gaining confidence, which in any other situation would be great. But as the current focus he was at his limit, and of course he’d told his usual backup to not wait up. Maybe next time Hizashi called him cocky, Aizawa should at least consider it.

_‘Alright, time to end this. I got enough information from this anyway.’_

Suddenly, Aizawa shot forward with such speed that Midoriya faltered, as he tried to dodge mid-lunge. Unfortunately for him, the older meister had a few years on him, and before the younger could blink he released his own soul wavelength. His counter soul wavelength startled the duo, and he saw the energy seep out of Midoriya. His arms suddenly gave out and the weapon he swung around easily began impossible to hold. Aizawa saw as the younger meister’s eyelids began to droop.

Katsuki clattered helplessly out of his meister’s hold, and quickly transformed back into his human form. He blinked, ready to catch that stupid Deku, but it seemed that the villain beat him to it. With little to no energy, the weapon gritted his teeth and pushed himself up.

“Oi, give him… give him back right the fuck now!” he said, his breath coming out shorter the longer Deku was in that stupid **_villain’s arms holy Fuck he had been taken as a hostage AGAIN and Katsuki was helpless—_ **

“Bakugou, calm down. It’s alright now, I’ve seen what I—”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU’VE SEEN YOU NEED TO DROP HIM RIGHT **THE FUCK NOW OR I SWEAR—”**

“Wait, Bakugou! Don’t do anything rash!” Ponytail said, and where the **_fuck had she been earlier?! Why was she here now?! Could she get Deku back?!_ **

“Thank fuck, Ponytail, help me get Deku back.” He said, and something crossed across her face as she looked away from him…? What the fuck was going on. Suddenly, Icy Hot was at his side with a frown on his face. When the fuck did he get here?

“Bakugou, stand down. The test is over, you passed.” Icy Hot said and—wait.

What.

“I don’t care about some stupid test, give me back **_my fucking meister you fuck-ass!”_ ** And Katsuki pushed himself up in one fluid motion, causing all parties to shift in surprise. Using their surprise as an opening, the weapon threw himself at the villain, a snarl on his face as he was fully prepared to—

Wait.

The weapon froze, his arms poised to release an explosion right in that Bastard Man’s face. Icy Hot’s words now fully processed, and Katsuki felt his rage building in his chest, heavy as it made it hard to breathe.

“What the fuck do you mean we pass?! This was some sort of test?!”

Ponytail at least had the **_gall_ ** to look embarrassed, Icy Hot just looked annoyed.

“Took you long enough. Can we go now so we can get the other two the help they need?” That motherfucker really had the audacity to say that, huh? Katsuki clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, but he kept his eyes on Deku.

“Whatever. Let’s get those assholes aid, and on the way, I want some **_fucking answers._ **”

Bastard Man had actually fucking **_sighed_ ** at him?! Like he was the main issue, and not the fact that two of his teammates **_knew about this stupid test?! What the FUCK was he missing here?!_ **

It was Ponytail who had the nerve to approach him.

“Bakugou, we understand that you’re upset. We’ll answer all the questions that you may have, but right now we need to focus on your partner, Kirishima, right? He’s still hurt, and he needs help right now. I’ve called for backup, all we need to do is make sure those two stay stable. Let’s focus on that right now, alright?”

Katsuki hated how sincere she sounded and refused to answer. He just started walking towards the stupid ice wall that Icy Hot created to keep their teammates safe, but maybe it was some sort of area to keep the loses at?! He didn’t fucking know anymore, all the weapon wanted to know was if his meister was alright.

_‘Deku or Shitty Hair?’_ His asshole of a brain asked, and he told it to shut the fuck up. Thoughts like this weren’t going to make sure that his **_real_ ** meister was alright. After making sure that Shitty Hair was alright, if not still passed out, he sat next to them. It felt… weird not being able to see Deku, but again thoughts like that wouldn’t make sure Shitty Hair or Emo Bitch was alright.

Ponytail said backup was on the way, Katsuki just needed to hold out until then. For everyone’s sake, backup better arrive sooner rather than later. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! You know, everyone one of you who reads this and comments something makes writing so much easier. I also really appreciate each and every one of you, and hope that during these times that y'all are keeping safe!! Stay tuned for the next chapter, I'll try to get it out before July ends!!


	7. pity the fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku hadn’t planned on passing out on the battlefield. In fact, that was the last thing he had intended to do, especially when facing off against their opponent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy there!! I hope that you are keeping safe and healthy out there!! As I begin to return to school, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm thinking of all of you, and sending good and positive energy y'alls way!! Please be careful, these are some scary times!!

Izuku hadn’t planned on passing out on the battlefield. In fact, that was the last thing he had intended to do, especially when facing off against their opponent. _Especially_ when there were people counting on him to be awake and to cover for them until backup arrived and holy **_shit, he was wasting time._ **In one jerky movement, the meister’s eyes snapped open and he decided that now was the time to move.

With sheer determination, the meister tried to push himself up, only to pause at the sensation under his hands. It was soft and gentle against his skin; the ground giving slightly under his hands. There were other noises, a steady beeping that was starting to get more rapid, the sharp noise of sheets rustling, and the soft buzzing of the lights above him. Taking another moment just to **_breathe_ **, Izuku forced himself to take in his new environment.

He looked to be in some kind of infirmary room, not dissimilar to the nurse’s station at U.A. Actually, now that the boy had a moment to think, the resemblance was uncanny. All that was missing was the lovely doctor that always seemed to be present. Another glance around the room showed that he was alone, and he felt his heartbeat pick up, mirrored by the beeping sound.

 _‘Oh, that’s probably connected to me for a reason.’_ Izuku thought blankly, and carefully sat up in the hospital cot he was in. Hopefully, someone could show up soon to explain what was happening, and how he ended up here. As if on cue, the hospital door slid open, revealing the person that the meister wanted to see the most.

There stood Shinsou, sleep deprived as usual, stood in the doorway clutching a tray of what looked like Lunch Rush’s food. Wait, what? So, they were actually at U.A. and not some copycat place? Before Izuku could voice any questions, Shinsou’s eyes landed on him and he almost dropped the tray of food. He quickly set the tray down on the closest surface and all but threw himself at the meister.

“Wow there! Hey, are you alright?!” Izuku asked, hugging his friend back and running his hands across his back. His fingers didn’t catch on any bandages, but that didn’t mean his weapon wasn’t hurt elsewhere. But when he tried to pull away, the purple-haired teen only clung tighter. Helplessly, the meister wrapped his arms around his weapon’s shoulders and allowed himself to be crushed. If he noticed any tears, that was between Shinsou and him. They sat like that, Izuku’s heart rate slowing to steady beeps, and he allowed himself to finally relax.

Finally, it was Shinsou who pulled back first with a long sigh and made himself comfortable on the bed. Izuku shifted to accommodate for his weapon and once he was settled, rested his head onto his shoulder. The purple haired teen huffed a laugh, but it was tired and devoid of any energy. After a moment, he rested his head on top of the fluffy green mass of curls. They were silent, just basking in the other’s company, before Shinsou broke the silence.

“We’ve been waiting for you to wake up, ya know? I was worried there for a while, but apparently Aizawa had to knock you out to break up the soul resonance. You… you really scared me for a moment.” The weapon said, and Izuku reached out and grabbed his friend’s hand, as if to say _‘but I’m still here’_. The weapon squeezed his meister’s hand back in response.

“I’m going to be okay.” The meister said.

 _‘We’re going to be okay.’_ Went unsaid.

“I know, you’re much too stubborn to go down that easily. I just… I didn’t like seeing you like that.”

“I get how you feel. When I saw you flying across the battlefield, I…” The green haired teen stumbled for words, and instead just squeezed his friend’s hand. Said friend shifted his head and squeezed back.

 _Message received_.

“What… happened? Where is everyone?” Izuku asked, and the weapon groaned and lifted his head off his own to drag his hand down his face.

“Kirishima is fine, he was hurt pretty badly but he’s been treated for his burns. The other two teammates were apparently apart of the stupid exercise, so they’re fine. Bakugou got a bit banged up, but he’s main issue was running out of stamina. He collapsed on the way here, but he woke up a few hours ago. As far as I know, he’s with Kirishima.” Shinsou took a deep breath and looked straight at his meister.

“It was a test, Izuku. It was some stupid test see how compatible we all were with our partners. Aizawa’s actually a teacher here, in fact he’ll be our homeroom teacher, isn’t that special?” The weapon said with a snort, and the meister couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment.

“What an awkward year this is gonna be.” Izuku said and ran a finger through his hair. “Do you know when I’ll be able to get out of here?”

“Dunno, my guess is after the doctor makes sure you’re good to go. I’ve been cleared, but I didn’t want to leave just yet.”

_‘Not without you.’_

Another hand squeeze. Another beat of silence. Then, very softly, the weapon asked:

“What’s gonna happen now?”

That question took Izuku by surprise and caused the teen to turn more towards his purple-haired friend. Who was now refusing to look at him, which wasn’t like the weapon at all. Something heavy began to settle in his stomach as the realization struck him.

“Shinsou, Kacchan and I aren’t gonna be partners all of a sudden, okay? I chose you, you chose me, remember? That was circumstantial and that’s it. Both you and Kirishima were out of commission, and that’s that.” Izuku said, placing his free hand on top the hand he was already holding. He stared at Shinsou until the boy faced him, a small smile on his face and his eyes looked watery.

“You’re such a sap.” He said, a quiver in his voice that caused the meister to gulp.

“But you knew this. Come here, I wanna another hug from my weapon.”

Shinsou snorts in amusement but obliges his meister, this time less crushing and more of a reminder of where they stood with each other. Sadly, the peace they’d created couldn’t last, as the sliding door was violently flung open. 

“IS HE AWAKE NOW?!” A slightly panicked Kirishima all but screams, stumbling into the nurse’s station with Bakugou trailing not too far behind. Following them was both the doctor who should be here to do her final check up on Izuku, and… there stood a tired-looking Aizawa, his arms crossed, face set in stony indifference. At the sight alone Izuku had to do a double take and process the sight before him. The maniac that not only antagonized them, but also threatened to kill them all, and seemingly enjoyed their discomfort, was somehow the same man before him? The meister was so shocked that all he could do was stare.

 _‘Huh.’_ Was all that the green-haired meister could think as Kirishima stood next to him, fidgeting with his hands as if he wanted to do something, but was physically holding himself back. His smile looked a bit forced and coming from a usually genuine guy Izuku found his behavior suspicious. Then it hit him.

_‘He wants to make sure you’re okay, just like Shinsou, but doesn’t know if he’s welcomed.’_

Without a word, Izuku patted a free space on the bed, which _wow was it getting crowded._ But to see the smile go from forced to relieved, then so be it. Shinsou grumbled about shifting positions, but somehow, they made it work. Izuku was basically leaning against his weapon, while the redheaded meister took up the food of the bed, and one of Shinsou’s legs had fallen off the bed and now dangled off it. Kirishima held out a fist, which the other meister happily bumped with his own.

“Glad you’re doing alright, dude.” The other meister said, which caused Izuku to raise a brow.

“What are you talking about? I was worried about you! Since you got burned, and all.” The meister said, and the redhead grimaced.

“Ah, yeah. But they didn’t even scar after the treatment, so no worries! I’m basically good as new, in fact!” As if to prove it, Kirishima began to flex, and Shinsou whistled.

“That’s an impressive form.” He said, and the redhead actually **_blushed_ ** at the compliment.

“Ah, it’s nothing! I just like working out, it’s a good stress relief.”

“Sounds like you’re belittling your own accomplishments, if you asked me.” Izuku said, and Shinsou hummed in agreement. Kirishima only blushed harder at the sudden praise while Kacchan clicked his tongue. Izuku chanced a glance his way and noticed how stiffly he was holding himself. He then quickly scanned the bed and tried to mentally rearrange how they were sitting to accommodate everyone.

“Let me introject, just to say what I need to say as your teacher, then I’ll be on my way. Then you can continue…whatever this is.” Aizawa said, his voice even losing the sadistic edge it once held.

 _‘This adjustment period is going to be_ **_hell_ ** _. I’m still expecting him to take a swing at me, but he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.’_ Izuku thought, and then nodded. There were a few more questions he was hoping to have answered and the sooner their… teacher? Okay, wow, as soon as their **_teacher_ ** is done telling them whatever they needed to know, then the sooner he could leave. Which wasn’t exactly fair, but this was too much new information for the meister to process.

Aizawa sighed, as if he could hear the meister’s thought, and began to explain.

“As you may know, this was a test to test compatibility between partnerships. I was asked by U.A. to test your ability to not only work with a team, but how you worked with your respective partners. What I am about to do now is review how you did.”

At that, he pulled out a small notebook and began to flip through notes. He doesn’t bother looking at any of them as he begins to read out his critiques.

“The biggest issue was that the senior team was discarded and not used once in the battle. Once I had separated you, there was no push to regroup and make up a battle strategy. They ended up sitting on the side lines which hindered both groups. Next time allow for the team with the most experience to take the lead. I can understand that once losing your partners, both Midoriya and Bakugou thought they were helping.

“However, putting themselves between their rested teammates and enemy would have allowed themselves to be casualties or hostages. Which brings me to my biggest point: very early on, you allowed one of your teammates to be captured. In fact, he was able to use your attacks as a means of a distraction to break himself free. While commendable, he shouldn’t have been captured in the first place. The biggest issue right off the bat was: disorganization.

“Had you had a solid plan when coming to attack me, then there would have been less injuries. What I want you all to reflect on is your teamwork, and how well it either worked or why it didn’t.”

The man paused, closing his notebook before looking back up to the group of students.

“Now, comes the big news. You’ve all been suspended.” Aizawa said and held up a hand to halt protesting.

“Not forever, but until I deem you competent enough to look out for your partner. And,” he said, his eyes landing on each student, “if your partner is the right one. I’ll not push you one way or the other, but I will not accept you in my classroom until you prove that you can work with your partner. That will be all.” Their teacher said, then turned to exit. He paused, then turned to look back at his students.

“I would recommend finding time to discuss further action. If you want any guidance, come by my office. But I will not personally seek you out, am I understood?” The teacher asked and the students nodded in response. After he received confirmation, Aizawa took his leave. The room was filled with thick tension, no one daring to break it. Not even Katsuki, who almost always had something to say.

For once, he was trapped inside of his own head, busy trying to piece together what he should do next. It was because he wasn’t paying attention that he didn’t notice Shitty Hair approaching. He touched his arm, and the weapon found himself staring into his meister eyes.

 _‘His_ **_real_ ** _meister. Keep it together, Katsuki.’_

“Hey Bakubro, can we chat outside?” Shitty Hair and what the fuck was he supposed to say to that? No? So, he nodded, and the two of them left Deku with a wave and a promise to talk later. Katsuki forced himself to keep his eyes on the ground and away from the nerd. It was… not unpleasant being his temporary partner. The fact that he hadn’t **_burned_ ** Deku was—something he wasn’t willing to unpack right now.

Right now, he was going to talk to his meister, and figure their shit out.

They walked in silence down the hallway, seemingly at random. But Katsuki knew Shitty Hair better than that—the dumbass wanted a semi-private place to talk. Which meant this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation, and the weapon began to mentally prepare himself for whatever the fallout was. In a way, he felt like he deserved whatever Shitty Hair threw his way. Because he had betrayed their partnership by just **_thinking_ **that Deku was his meister. Whatever his meister wanted to do, he would back the decision. They finally found an empty area, and Shitty Hair suggested they sit down. Without speaking, Katsuki took a seat, and waited.

It was the meister who broke the silence.

“Hey, so we should probably discuss what happened back there, yeah?”

Katsuki nodded.

“Listen, man, I want you to be my weapon but, I mean… Do you want me as your meister?”

Katsuki stared at the teen in front of him.

“What. Of course I want you as my meister, Shitty Hair. I chose you, didn’t I?” The weapon said to the meister, who looked down at the table between them.

“Yeah, and I want to work with you, you’re my Bakubro and all,” the redhead said, an empty smile on his face, “but I saw a bit of your fight with Midoriya as your meister, and I… he just seems to handle you better than I’ve been able to. I just… don’t know if I can give you that?”

“Is that a question, or is a fact? Cause to me, it sounds like you’re looking for a way out. And I get it, but just be honest with me about it.” The blond said, and the meister sat straighter in his seat.

“No! Not at all! I really like hanging out with you, and your soul is so manly! I don’t know if I’m manly enough to handle it. I know you’ve seen the burns, dude. I just don’t know what I want to do.”

Silence fell between them, and Katsuki felt his brain going a mile a minute. He decided to break it down to the facts of the matter:

1\. Shitty Hair got burned by his soul wavelength whenever they practiced

2\. He had to hold back whenever they practiced, and especially in battle

3\. He felt like shit whenever his meister got hurt **_because of him_**

4\. **_Biggest issue: he called Deku his meister_**

The weapon groaned and closed his eyes and rubbed his palms into his eyes. He saw a potential solution, but he didn’t like it. Katsuki Bakugou didn’t ask for help, but… fuck, for the sake of his meister, just might have to start.

“What if we asked Bastard Man about training us? Maybe if we had a better grasp of what we were doing and be better?” He offered, and Shitty Hair’s eyes lit up.

“You think that would work?” He asked, and the weapon stiffly shrugged.

“I’ve got no clue, but I would rather try than give up. Wouldn’t you?”

The meister sent him a blinding smile, the first real one sent his way.

“Of course! I want you to be my weapon if you’ll have me as your meister!”

“Course, dumbass. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

The conversation between Izuku and Shinsou went a little easier, but just barely. Because they had noticed these issues early on, they were doing their best to combat them. They had talked about it before, but never in detail. It looked like the time to fully talk about their problem had fully present itself.

Shinsou started and asked if Izuku felt like he had to hold back, and the meister answered honestly.

“I hold myself back because I don’t want to hurt you. I know how unrulily my soul can be, and sometimes it just… lashes out? I don’t know why, but if I lose any control or focus, then I hurt people? I dunno why, and my mom and Mr. Toshinori have been working with me a lot to try and have some semblance of control.”

“Did you… did you hurt Bakugou?”

Izuku thought over the question before shrugging.

“I’m not sure, if I did then he never told me.”

“Do you want to know if you did?”

Izuku had paused in that moment, not really sure if he did or not. But since they decided to be more honest with each other, the meister tried his best to explain.

“Honestly? I would like to know if it was because of him or me if he wasn’t hurt, and what I did differently so I can be better. But if I did hurt him, and he just didn’t tell me? I’m not really sure how’d that make me feel.”

Shinsou took it in stride and nodded, and after Izuku got the final okay, both meister and weapon were off. The duo was about to leave the school premises when they almost bumped into Kirishima and Kacchan. It seemed that they had settled whatever was going on between them, and Izuku felt the tension ease out of his shoulders. He and Shinsou had their own talk, both promising to be more open and honest with each other about their personal limits.

He had hoped the other two were able to talk openly as well.

“Midoriya! Shinsou! Hey! How’s it goin!” Kirishima said, and Izuku noticed how the other meister’s smile looked less forced.

_‘Oh good. I was worried about him.’_

“Hey Kirishima! We’re doing alright, in fact, we’re about to head home. Wanna catch the train together?” The green haired teen asked, which the redhead gratefully accepted.

The walk to the train station was a bit awkward, but that was due to Kacchan refusing to speak. Which was highly unusual for him, and the meister couldn’t help but worry about his friend’s emotional state. Usually Kacchan only got this quiet if he was really in his own head and needed to be pulled out of it. Maybe the conversation between the meister and weapon was heavier than Izuku originally thought. But before the teen could pry, their train had arrived.

“Hey, did you guys want to come over? I can call my mom on the way, but I’m sure it would be fine. No pressure, of course! I just thought I’d extend the invite.” Izuku said, and Kirishima quickly agreed for them both. Kacchan only clicked his tongue but otherwise didn’t reject the invite. Shinsou sighed and leaned against his meister after they sat down. The meister let out a sigh of his own. He understood where his weapon was coming from, but while it was still raw, Izuku wanted to talk about what had happened during the fight. He had no intention of making the situation worse, but if they were going to be a team then they needed to know where they all stood with each other.

_‘What a concept, the four of us as a team. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself; this was just a test after all. Still, I could see how Kirishima’s positive wavelength could affect Kacchan’s volatile one. Maybe, when they tried to soul resonate…’_

Izuku’s thoughts drifted off, and he began mumbling aloud. Shinsou rested his elbow on the smaller teen, and his friend didn’t even flinch. With a sigh, he pulled out his phone with his other hand and texted Ms. Midoriya.

_Best Mom <3_

_Today at 17:35_

_Me:_

_Hey Ms. Midoriya, I’m sorry to bother you, but Izuku just invited over_

_Bakugou and Kirishima. It a very spur of the moment thing._

_I_ _s it alright if they come over?_

_Best Mom <3_

_Oh of course, honey!!! Just let me kno ur ETA_

_and I should have sumthin for dindin!!! Is_

_everyone alright???_

_Me:_

_Yeah, everything’s fine. Izuku just wanted all of us to_

_hang out, I guess? He didn’t really explain, just invited_

_them over and when inside his head._

_Maybe he’s plotting as we speak._

_Best Mom <3_

_Ah, hes known 2 do that!!! Okay dear,_

_let me kno when ur gonna get here!!!_

_Love you lots <3 _

_Me:_

_Love you too. See you soon._

With a small nod, the purple haired teen put his phone away, and looked up to catch eyes with the other weapon. Instead of glaring, the loudmouth was only staring at him, which was unsettling. Something that the weapon had grown to accept was the fact the blond was always ready for a fight. It didn’t seem to matter with who or why, but it was something Shinsou had noticed right away. The weapon also noticed how the dick was especially hostile towards his meister, which the teen could never understand. 

Shinsou understood that there was history between the blond and his meister, but Izuku never told him much other than they were friends, and now it’s messy. Now that they’d temporarily partnered up, Shinsou was worried this could lead to his meister getting unwanted attention from the asshole. So, Shinsou propped his elbow up and led his head against his fist, choosing to stare right back at the other weapon.

_‘Two can play at this game, and I’ve got way more to lose than you do.’_

Bakugou clicked his tongue and looked away, and Shinsou felt himself smirk. Was it petty? Oh, hell yeah it was, but he felt it was well-deserved. After the day he’s had, the weapon just wanted to binge bad movies with his best friend and pass out early because he hadn’t gotten enough sleep, and he doubted Izuku was feeling up to company other than family. A thought suddenly choked him, and he tried his best not to allow any panic in.

_‘Does Izuku consider these people family now? Where does that leave me?’_

The weapon beat back the panic with sheer will, and slowly it became easier to breathe. Which, lucky him, their stop was coming up. As the train rolled to a stop, Shinsou tapped his meister on top of his head before standing. Izuku snapped out of whatever thought he was stuck in and stood as well. He shot his weapon a grateful smile before walking off the train, Kirishima not far behind. It was… a sight to see the two of them interact, and it was always interesting to see Izuku relax around another person.

It’s good that he was making friends that weren’t Shinsou, but the weapon couldn’t help but feel the flames of jealousy ignite within him. It wasn’t Izuku’s fault, it was solely the weapon’s issue he had to work on. He made a mental note to talk about this new issue with Izuku later, and not when they were in such a volatile situation.

Speaking of volatile.

Bakugou still hadn’t said a word, but for some reason he was keeping pace with Shinsou and not with his own meister. The purple haired weapon side-eyed the other weapon, but the other was only sporting his usual scowl. There were no signs of plotting, in fact he looked…nervous? Shinsou tried to remember if Ms. M. ever brought up the Bakugou’s and drew a blank.

_‘Huh. This could be a potential shit show. Ms. M., I got your back.’_

All thoughts stopped as they reached the door, and Izuku fished around in his pockets for the house key. After a beat of silence, he finds it and unlocks the door.

“MOM! I’m home with Shinsou and guests! I forgot to text, sorry!” He called out, and his mother called back something like _‘its okay! I’ll be right there!’_

Shrugging, the four teens toed off their shoes and made their way to the living room, only to see a somber Toshinori sitting on the sofa, with a woman that looked scarily like Bakugou.

Wait.

“MOM?! What the FUCK are you doing here?!” Bakugou asked, and ah, there he was. Shinsou was starting to get nervous at his lack of volume, good to know he was feeling like himself again.

“Sit down brat. School called, time for a chat with the grownups.” Bakugou’s mom said and jerked her head towards the open sofa. Izuku and Bakugou’s backs straightened with the gesture, which _wasn’t that interesting,_ and made their way to the coach. Shinsou looked at Kirishima, who shrugged but followed the other two’s lead. Shinsou felt the tension spike when Ms. M. entered the room, her eyes still puffy as if she had been _crying?! What the hell was going on?!_

Toshinori cleared his throat, drawing all attention to him as Ms. M. took a set next to him.

“Let’s not prolong this, shall we? Aizawa voiced his concerns to us earlier today, and we wanted to talk to you all about it. I’m so sorry, young Kirishima, but I had no contact information on your parents.” Kirishima seemed surprised to be addressed, but quickly reassured the man that it was alright. Izuku had his calculating eyes on again, flickering between all three adults as if trying to figure out _what was going on._

Finally, it was Ms. M. who broke the silence.

“We wanted to talk to all about what happened during your test, and how we can best help. I promise, for all your troubles, I’ll make you dinner, alright?” She said, and Shinsou felt himself relax slightly. For some reason, with all these adults it felt like an intervention. The weapon could only imagine what it must feel like Kirishima, who knew none of these people. Bakugou’s mom sighed loudly and stomped her foot on the ground and _oh, that’s where he got his mannerisms._

“Listen up! We’ll respect your decisions because they’re your partnerships. But we will be honest with you if we see something that we don’t like, ya hear?! I’ve been training my demon brat for years, and he knows I don’t hold back. Don’t expect anything less from me, understand?” She said and ‘ _holy shit this is just a second, more intimidating Bakugou,_ ’ Shinsou thought as he found himself nodding quickly.

He wasn’t the only one, as all teens quickly agreed with her statement. The woman nodded in approval and sank back in her seat, clearly done with her part. Ms. M. sighed, a small smile on her face as she faced the teens once more.

“We want what’s best for you all, and no matter what you will have my support. That’s why I have offered my home as a training ground. Mr. Toshinori has also agreed to help train you, and just like Mrs. Bakugou, he will be brutally honest.” She said, and pointedly looked at Izuku, who tried to scrunch up in his seat. Which did him little to no good since the couch was crowded as is. Bakugou even nudged him with his foot, which _wow_ _okay, Bakugou was hella flexible._

Izuku stopped moving and narrowed his eyes at his mother, who met his stare head-on.

“Is there some kind of ulterior motive for this little intervention?” He asked, and his mom only smiled in response and shook her head. Her son narrowed his eyes, and continued to stare at Ms. M. just for a moment longer. Finally, he sighed and tried to stretch again, purposefully getting into Bakugou’s space.

“Alright, then I’m taking these guests to my room for a while. We may be in the backyard before dinner. If you need any help, just let us know!” He said, and was all but tossed off the couch by the grumpy blond weapon. No adult intervened, so Shinsou assumed this was how they interacted with each other out of the public eye.

_‘Interesting…’_

True to his word, Izuku led them to their shared room, while the adults watched them go. When the sound of the bedroom door shut, all three sagged with relief.

“Holy shit, I thought he was about to call us out on our bullshit.” Mitsuki said, and Toshinori choked on a laugh while Inko covered her face with her hands.

“I love my baby boy, but he’s too perceptive for his own good. I don’t feel good lying to him, either. What do I do if he pushes for answers?” She asked, and Toshinori carefully took her hands in his.

“It’ll be alright, because you are not alone in this. You have both Mitsuki and I with you, and together we can handle this situation.” The older meister said with such conviction, that Inko felt the stress leave her shoulders.

“You’re right, I just can’t help but worry.”

“No kidding. Aizawa really said that my brat and yours achieved perfect soul resonance? On their second attempt?” Mitsuki let out a low whistle and shook her short blond hair.

“Things just got complicated, didn’t they?” She asked, and Toshinori allowed the weight of the situation to finally sink in. He sagged in his chair, unknowingly mirroring the older weapon.

“It’s what we signed up for, so do we have any right to complain?” He asked, and the other blond rolled her eyes.

“Still, how the fuck are we supposed to tell them that Katsuki and Izuku have almost perfect soul compatibility?” Mitsuki asked, and Inko felt the stress rise to her shoulders once more. She knew how fond her son was of her current partnership, and she loved Shinsou to death. Whatever happened, she wanted both of her boys to get through this alright.

“Right now, we just need to prepare dinner and help with training. We can worry about training schedules later. Now, I could use both of your help in the kitchen.” Inko said, and both adults pulled themselves out of their seats to help. In their carelessness, the adults hadn’t noticed there was another presence in the room, hidden behind the wall that led to the bedrooms.

None of them had noticed Kirishima, who was now sporting a shocked expression. The information was startling, and it _certainly was not for him to hear oh_ **_no._ ** As quietly as he was able, the young meister made his way back to Midoriya’s room, battling the feeling of despair taking root in his chest. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your patience for this month!! I hope that these were worth the wait!! Please let me know what you think, and stay tuned for what's to come!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I had this idea of a MHA x SE au floating in my head for a while now! Plus, now with everything being online thanks to quarantine, I will have more time to write! Please let me know what you think, comments help motivate me to keep posting!


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